You Are Sans Now
by Greyshi
Summary: A twist of fate? The path set by destiny? Or some kind of a prank played by the gods? For one reason or another, you've lost everything yet gained so much more. You have the knowledge and the power to change the world, so use it wisely. Follow your heart, seek out the answers and don't forget - you are not alone.
1. New within old

There is a strange feeling in your whole body. Your head spins. Soft light flickers and your vision is blurry.

Slowly coming to your senses you find yourself in a strange snowy forest. You could have sworn you weren't here just a second ago, but... where were you? You don't remember.

You look around.

There is not much to look at, just a bunch of snow and tall pine trees standing like walls on both sides of a snowy path. Then you notice some sort of building and decide to check it. The feeling that everything around you seems familiar and yet new at the same time won't let you go.

After giving a circle around the strange box you peek inside. It seems like no one's there, only bottles of various condiments scattered on the floor and shelves. You reach your hand out to grab one of the bottles when you realize.

It's not your hand.

The hand itself, complete with fingers, looks hard, white and a bit glossy. Just like... bones. You freak out, jerking your hands up to stare at them with horror.

'How could that happen!?' panicked thoughts fill your mind. You don't feel any pain, which is not surprising, since there is no flesh, but that still doesn't make any sense.

"What the hell is going on?" you mumble to yourself, freezing at the sound of your voice. It's not your voice either. Really deep, rumbly and also... somewhat familiar?

You begin to search yourself for any other weird changes. And oh, do you find them.

Looking down, your legs also consist only of bones if you can judge by seeing them right below the shorts. Touching your head reveals that it's hard and smooth, lacking any hair or ears, with an array of big teeth instead of lips and your eyes... well, apparently they're just empty eye sockets now.

Your mind rushes like a mountain river on steroids, refusing to generate anything but curses.

'Damn. Damn. Damn. Goddammit! Do I really turn into a freaking skeleton? Is this a joke? Is this a dream?' You're shivering, filling with dread at the sound of your own rattling bones.

Then one sneaky thought comes to your fevering mind. Something about this situation. How familiar it is. The scenery, the condiments, the clothing you're wearing, the fact that you are a skeleton…'No way! No way in hell! Can I be...? Can I really be...'

"SANS!" you turn around and jerk your head up, staring and not believing your eyes.

Looming above you is no one else but The Great Papyrus himself, alive and in the flesh, except not really... fleshy.

"Ah... Hah... H-hey," you manage to stutter.

"I CAME TO CHECK UP ON YOU, BROTHER! GLAD TO SEE YOU NOT SLEEPING ON THE JOB... THIS IS PROGRESS! " he rambles loudly as you stare at him with uncertainty. You really don't know what to do.

"PROGRESS TOW... WAIT." he looks at you with a glimpse of something you can only assume is worry. "ARE YOU FEELING ALRIGHT? IT APPEARS YOU ARE SHAKING..."

"Ha... No, it's nothing, b... bro. J-just tired, that's all." Papyrus gives you a doubtful look.

"What? Do I look... rattled ?" you wink, recalling a lame pun you've heard a thousand times by now.

Apparently Papyrus heard it just as often, as he groans and shakes his head.

"IT IS NOT A LAUGHING MATTER!" he insists, laying a hand on your shoulder. "CAN I HELP IN ANY WAY?"

The caring look that this skeleton gives you is squeezing your heart into a puppy juice.

'Damn... Papyrus. You are the sweetest thing ever, aren't you?' You think to yourself, yet you can't spill the beans, at least not now.

"Well, I do feel... unusual. Maybe it's coz I didn't get my nap." And you hadn't even lied.

"IS THAT SO?" The tall skeleton scratched his chin for a second. "WELL. MAYBE... MAYBE YOU DO NEED A NAP AFTER ALL. SHOULD YOU, PROBABLY, COME HOME EARLIER TODAY?"

"Wow, YOU telling me to slack off my job?" You are genuinely surprised.

"NO! I MEAN... YES... I GUESS I AM." The poor guy looks conflicted. "BUT THIS IS ONLY BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU, BROTHER!"

"Uhh, sure, bro... Appreciate it," you mumble shyly.

"THEN I'LL GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOU A NICE PLATE OF SPAGHETTI! IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER IN NO TIME! NYEHEHEHEHE!" And with that he storms off in the direction he came from.

You sigh in relief and after few seconds you burst.

"Oh. My. GOD. It really was Papyrus. It really was real Papyrus! And he is the most adorable guy ever!" You take your time to fangirl for a bit. You hadn't ever dreamt of meeting him, but now you are! And on top of that?

You are Sans now! Or you are inside of his body... Whatever it is, it's really cool.

...or is it?

You frown. This situation is so completely bizarre you don't even know how you're supposed to react to it. You aren't even sure it's real.

At this thought you try to pinch your cheek and, to your surprise, succeed. The cheekbone is actually somewhat flexible, adding even more strangeness to everything that is already so crazy. You even felt pain, yet you didn't wake up. You can't decide if that's a bad or a good thing.

'Guess I really don't have any other choices, but to a take a role of Sans for now.' With that thought you proceed down the path, following the bright silhouette in the distance.

You don't feel any discomfort, even though it's probably freezing cold and your short legs are not entirely covered by fabric. You don't question it, it's probably some skeleton magic anyway.

You let your mind flow and analyze the situation that have you found yourself in. 'So, it's pretty obvious now that I'm inside of Undertale... Ha! Couldn't see THAT coming.' You smile at that thought.

Undertale… The game you adore so much. The game that slowly made you fall in love with it, consuming your life even after you finished it. You remember stashing lots of fanart, reading fanfiction, discussing theories with your friends. You know pretty much everything about the game, even though you played it only once.

Thinking about it, you do remember an awful lot about Undertale, but... what else do you remember? You try to concentrate, but your head starts to hurt. You are even forced to stop to catch your breath.

A terrifying conclusion pulsates in your mind. There is nothing. Your memories are as good as empty. You can't recall anything about your friends or family, even though you are fairly certain you have them. Or had them. No voices or faces to imagine in your head. No names or addresses to hang on to. And even more so…

You can't even remember your own name.

'Why is this happening? What should I do? What CAN I do!?' There are so many questions with no visible answers.

'Breathe... breathe... calm down...' You don't even care if skeletons can breathe or not. You just stand there, catching chill air with an open mouth, not unlike a fish on a beach. It helped, so that's something.

You sigh. No use in just standing here and panicking. Better keep moving and maybe, hopefully, you will find some answers soon.

The smell of pine needles and crunching of the snow is soothing you as you travel through the forest. The somewhat meditating atmosphere slowly calms you down.

You pass Papyrus' cardboard checkpoint and then checkpoint of Doggo, who didn't show his head, probably recognizing Sans' smell.

You go past puzzles and traps. Some are deactivated, some are yet to be built the way you remember them, some you have to solve to progress, but there are no problems with that. If anything, sliding on ice is actually pretty fun.

While solving one of the puzzles you saw Dogamy and Dogaressa wave to you from the distance. You wave back, but they didn't come closer. Maybe they're busy.

Eventually you made your way to the bridge to Snowdin. It's when you noticed the view opening from the cliff.

"Whoa!" you can't help but gasp, as the scenery in front of you is stunning. Nothing comparable to simple pixelated graphics.

Stretching far and wide, as far as foggy darkness allows you to see, lies calm, snow covered forest, with a shimmering frozen river in the middle of it. Dark green complements white and blue so perfectly that you feel a strike of inspiration. For a moment you wish that you could take a photo, or even better, draw a picture it.

This place sure is beautiful.

"F-freeze!" Someone shouts, startling you out of your thoughts. "Ha-ha! Got you, Sans!"

You turn around to look at the one who spooked you and saw Snowdrake standing there with a pleased look on his face.

"Y-yeah... Heh. Nice one, kiddo." you decide to play along. "I jumped out of my skin. "

Snowdrake walks off mumbling something about not calling him kid, but you notice he still liked your joke and the praise he received from you. And you're just glad that you don't have organs right now, or you would have suffered from a heart attack.

Finally, the bridge is crossed and here you are! The Snowdin town!

Such a lovely and cozy place with all kinds of cute folk, but as much you want to wander around for a bit you hate to make Papyrus wait, so you quickly stroll through the town. Some monsters greet you on your way to the skeleton brothers' house and you just nod back.

Reaching your destination, you raise your hand to open the door, but hesitated for a bit, eyeing your bony palm.

How are you suppose to explain Papyrus what happened? Should you even? If he is anything like the in game character, he probably wouldn't even notice any changes, not if you play Sans' role well enough. And judging by his first real impression, he is pretty much the same as you know him, but would it be fair to him? His brother... well... his consciousness is gone and replaced by yours. If it's permanent, Papyrus has to know...

You feel guilt tugging on your chest. Whatever caused this body switch it probably wasn't your fault, yet you can't be sure because you don't even remember anything important about you, aside from the fact that you were a human before.

'It does not matter whose fault it was.' You shake your head and made a mental promise that you will do something about it anyway. For your sake and for sake of the skeleton brothers.

Luckily the door isn't locked and you enter reluctantly.

The house is relatively clean and comfortable, aside from an infamous single sock with a series of notes on it and a trail of smoke.

'Wait what? Smoke!?' You turn your head in the direction of happening disaster.

Of course, Papyrus is already on the kitchen making spaghetti a la Undyne, just like he promised you earlier. You decided to intervene.

"Uhh... Papyrus, don't you think it's done already?" You shuffle to the tall skeleton's side and peek at the reeking pot.

"OH, I SEE YOU HAVE ARRIVED!" He seems to notice you only now, as furious stirring took all of his concentration. The next moment Papyrus turns off the heat and puts away his spoon. "AND JUST IN TIME TO TASTE THE FOOD WHILE IT'S FRESH!"

He takes a plate from one of the shelves and puts some burnt, blackened spaghetti on it. It makes an unpleasant splosh sound. "WOULD YOU LIKE THE SAUCE OR..."

"Ketchup," you quickly interrupt him. It's probably rude, but you can't help it. "Ketchup, please."

"I KNEW YOU WOULD SAY THAT..." Papyrus sighs. "BUT IT'S OKAY! AS LONG AS IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER!"

The tall brother hands you the plate and a bottle of ketchup, and just looks at you patiently, waiting for you to start to eat.

He stares at you with such innocent look, how are you supposed to say no to this face? And you are curious anyway. Even if not cooked exactly right, it's still monster food and you are a magical skeleton now, how any of this works? Look like it's time to find out!

You cover all of the spaghetti with a thick layer of ketchup and pick up some with a fork. Gingerly you shove it in past your teeth and immediately try to swallow the food, but you can't do it. Instead of going forward, the spaghetti starts to dissolve right inside of your mouth, bringing in the taste and some weird feeling. It feels like it's filling your whole body with energy. Yet you can't really concentrate on the energy aspect, as the flavor overwrites all of your senses with a horrible, horrible taste.

"SO..." Papyrus still awaits your response. "WHAT DO YOU SAY?"

You give him a few nods, desperately trying to not show any sign of disgust on your face. "S'good bro. You have really... outdone yourself."

The shine of happiness coming from Papyrus' face is blinding. "BUT OF COURSE! I, THE GREAT CHEF PAPYRUS, IS BOUND TO GET BETTER EVERY DAY!"

"SAY. DO YOU FEEL ANY BETTER?" Again that worried look on his face.

"Yeah. Thanks. I think... I'll go upstairs and take that nap, alright?" You turn your head to look upstairs for a moment.

"YOU DON'T... DON'T WANT TO TALK, DO YOU?" he asks, suddenly looking a bit nervous.

"N-no... Why do you ask?" You start to feel nervous too. Is he on to something?

"I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU, THAT YOU CAN TELL ME ANYTHING." Papyrus sighs.

Sadly, you don't think so. You aren't ready to upset Paps like this. You just don't have the guts for it.

'Hah... Sans would like that pun,' you think bitterly.

"It's okay Papyrus." You reach out and pat tall skeleton's shoulder. "You are a great pal."

He just sighs again.

"No worries, alright? Everything going tibia fine" you wink at Paps, giving, hopefully, reassuring smile.

With that you turn around and go upstairs, chuckling half-heartedly at the grumbling noises behind you.

Standing there, in front of Sans' room, you have to admit that you are pretty excited about visiting it. You never had the chance to see it, but you have heard a lot about it. You fumble through jacket pockets and find a few keys in there. Picking a random one you try to unlock the room, but failed. You pick another one and, much to your relief, the door opens.

You are greeted by the distinct smell of unwashed socks and other unpleasant aromas. Not something you were hoping for, but what can you do?

Right in front of you stands a treadmill. 'Why does Sans have it anyway?'

To your left lies a pile of socks and to your right swirls a tornado with all kind of trash captured in it. 'Sans is weird... All of the monsters are, for that matter.'

You look around a bit more, throw Sans' jacket on the treadmill and open a window for some fresh air to flow. The huge ball of sheets doesn't amuse you and you just kick it on the floor, flopping onto the old mattress after that.

It's hard to believe that you are actually in a skeleton brothers' house of all places.

Come to think of it, you had never been really interested in skeletons in the first place. They looked kinda cool to you, but eerie at the same time. Yet, since you played Undertale and set your foot in its fandom your opinion on skeletons made a huge, weird flip. Now not only you find them interesting and even cute, but you think that Sans in particular is really, really interesting.

You notice glowing right below your eye sockets and giggle as you realize that you're blushing.

'This is stupid,' you think to yourself.

'This is not right.' You look around, like you're wish for someone to stop you, but you're alone in Sans' room.

And curiosity overwhelms you.

Giddy and a bit embarrassed you pull off Sans' shirt, exposing thick, white bones. You can't not believe your eyes and once again you wonder if it's all just a strange dream.

Questioning your sanity you poke at big inhuman ribs. Surprisingly, you felt the touch almost as clear as if you touched a skin.

"Sensitive bones..." you whisper in shock. "How is this even possible?"

You explore some more, poking fingers here and there, fairly intrigued at figuring out how do magical skeletons work.

And then you start to notice that his bones are not really white. Covered in dirt and spots of various colors they looked more grey than white, like they haven't been cleaned in ages.

Looks like Sans' condition is not far better than the condition of his room. He doesn't really look after himself.

Suddenly you came back to your senses, feeling sad and a bit ashamed of yourself. It's not your body, it's the body of someone you've come to think of as a friend and you can't do this to him. You'd better stop before it becomes even more awkward.

You quickly put back Sans' shirt and start to think.

"Why am I here? And in Sans' body of all the... bodies I could posses? Why am I not in Frisk's body? Wouldn't it be more logical for me to be in a human body?" You rub your borrowed face in frustration.

There is no visible logic in this entire situation. And also no sign of Sans. You are really worried about him and you can only assume that his mind is in your body now. Hopefully Sans would be calm enough to not cause any harm to your relatives. You wish you could remember them.

"What would Sans do in this situation?" You sigh and think about it for a bit. Then you realize that you have no idea. This situation goes way beyond your knowledge about him. Not that you have much. You aren't even sure if this reality is exactly like the game or...

Your thought ends abruptly as you freeze in shock. A single word is looming above you like a ton of bricks.

 **Resets.**

You feel drops of sweat sliding down your skull. Are you really stuck in the same situation as in-game Sans? Will Frisk come here and start to befriend and\or kill everyone, including you? Repeating time again and again and again... Will you forget everything each time? Or, even worse, remember all of those tedious horrors? Arguably, a fate worse than death.

An anxious and panicking mess, you curl up on the mattress, afraid and lost in unsettling thoughts. It is at least the third time you have freaked out in the last few hours. Today is not your day for sure, and there is a huge probability to be stuck in this day forever.

You never thought you will become Sans. But now you're not only trapped within his body, but also have the same feelings inside of your mind.

Homesickness strikes you suddenly. You don't remember your home, but you really want to be there right now. To be human again. To be the normal and boring person you are sure you were.

With all of this on your mind you don't notice how the lights begin to dim as the room goes dark and you drift off to the merciful land of sleep.


	2. Awoken

'.h.. th...' Through the shroud of sleep you hear someone talking.

'.hy.. c... move?' For a moment you think it's still a part of your dream.

'WHY I CAN'T MOVE!?' The desperate shout instantly pulls you out of your drowsiness.

You snap open your eyes and jump from the mattress to look around. The light is shining through the window and you can see everything pretty clearly but the room is empty.

"H-hello?" You can't hide the tremble in your voice.

The silence is your answer. You are terrified.

"W-who is t-t-this?' You try to ask again.

'i have the same question for you. to?' That voice is extremely familiar and creepy as all hell.

"W-ha...! S-s-s-sans!? Is... is that you?" You spin your head like crazy but to no avail, the room is still empty, yet it sounds like Sans is really close. "Where are you!?'

You hear a frustrated sigh. 'yes, i am sans, but you are NOT. so what the hell are you doing inside of MY body?'

"Oh... oh... I'm so, so sorry..." You're shaking. Making Sans mad is the last thing you would like to do.

"I-I didn't mean to... I don't know how... I'm so sorry..." The tension of the previous day and fear of Sans being mad at you, combining with the relief of hearing him is tearing you apart and you feel like you are about to cry.

Suddenly Sans stops talking. A few minutes pass in silence. You begin to think that you're just going insane and hearing things, when he speaks again.

'okay. a'right. let's... uh. let's calm down and start over.' Now his voice sounds confused instead of mad and you can't help but feel relieved. 'would ya care to explain yourself?'

You nod and tell him everything that happened with you yesterday. Sans hums thoughtfully here and there as he listens to your monologue. When you describe trying Paps' spaghetti he chuckles and remarks, 'well. that was nice of you.'

Wrapping up your speech you repeat again that you are sorry and you don't know how any of this happened.

'that's it, huh?' He sounds even more confused than before. 'so from what i've gathered you are human, right? and you don't remember anything about yourself? that's... weird.'

"It sure is..." you agree with a touch of sadness in your voice. "But where are you anyway? I can't see you. Are you invisible?"

'that would've been fun.' He chuckles and then switches back to seriousness again. "i'm still here. inside my body. but it seems that you're the one controlling it now."

Now you feel very uneasy. Not only you are inside of Sans' body, but you are controlling it while he is still here? That's beyond awkward.

"so... you gonna give me back my body... or?' the tone of Sans' voice is creeping you out again.

"I... I don't know?" How are you supposed to know if you don't know how you had take control in the first place?

But Sans has a point, you can't just occupy bodies like this. Maybe you can figure something out.

"I'll try, okay?" You sit down and relax.

You tried to imagine yourself as some sort of spirit. Then you tried to pull that spirit away from Sans' body and drift to your own body. Minutes pass as you struggle to achieve something, anything, but it's just a waste of time.

In hindsight, it was probably just silly.

"It's not working. I don't know what to do..." You shake your head. Sans' head...? You don't even know anymore.

"Any ideas, Sans?" There is no response. "Sans!?"

'uh, yeah?' asks the sleepy voice inside of your head.

"Damn it Sans, how can you sleep in situation like this!?" You briefly wonder how he even does that.

'well, you lost your sleep, so i just picked it up where you left it.' You don't know if you should laugh or cry at this impossible person.

"Ugh, anyway... As I was saying, I don't know what to do. Even if I can give you back your body, I don't know how to do that." This situation is messed up and you feel so helpless.

"Or how to get back to my body..." you add bitterly.

'i see...' His voice is quiet and sad. You hate it. You hate making him sad and you hate how helpless you are right now.

Both of you sit in silence for a while, just thinking.

'gotta say though.' Sans says, breaking the silence. 'you are terrible at lying.'

"What? What do you mean?" you ask, but you know he is right. You weren't entirely honest with him. Yet the information that you posses is really delicate and you still aren't sure how to spill it out.

'it's obvious.' Sans sounds so blank. Like every emotion was drawn away from him. 'too obvious even. you know me and you know paps. you've been here before, haven't you?'

"It's... It's true... I know you guys." A heavy sigh escapes you. "But Sans I..."

'you're causing all this mess, right?' he interrupts you. 'you are the anomaly.'

"No, no! You don't..." You try to tell him that he's wrong but he interrupts you again.

'just let me ask one thing, okay?' The exhaustion in his voice is clear and heavy, like there is an entire iceberg resting on top of his soul. 'why? why are you doing all of this to us? what are you trying to achieve?'

He doesn't give you time to say anything. 'i have to admit it. i'm lost. i thought maybe you wanted some friends or maybe you just have fun messing with us... but then this happened. and that's it. last straw. i have no idea what you want or what you are or how to deal with you anymore.'

"I told you! I'm just a human, Sans! I didn't do anything!" you cry out desperately.

'whatever. i figured you wouldn't tell me.' Your imagination pictures Sans shrugging and turning away. 'i can't even try to stop you now. i can't do anything, so i'm just going back to sleep.'

You feel frustration swelling inside of you. "No you're not!"

'huh?' Sans seems to be confused by your outburst.

"Listen here, mister bonehead! I'm not the anomaly!" You begin your angry rant, filled with determination to prove Sans wrong. "I don't know who I am or why I am here, but everything you think I've done wasn't done by me!"

"Yes, I didn't tell you some significant information, but I just don't know how to spill it! I'm not even sure you will believe me! But it's not important!" You take a deep breath to calm yourself down and seize your emotions. "What's important is that I don't want to hurt any of you. I... I like you guys... really. I do not mean any harm."

You catch your breath and add, "I swear."

Sans is quiet. You hope he didn't just fall asleep in the middle of your speech.

"I can prove it. I... I think I can." Somehow, someway, you have to try to earn Sans' trust. You gotta be friends with the neighbors inside of your head. "Will you give me a chance? Please, Sans, give me a chance."

'uh... well... you do sound sure of yourself.' He, however, doesn't sound reassured.

'ah, crap, s'not like i have much of a choice here.' You picture Sans shrugging. 'so yeah. go ahead. hit me.'

'but it doesn't mean i trust you.' Sans voice goes eerie, sending shivers down your spine.

You're glad however. It's something at least. A start, a mission, a goal to have. You don't feel so lost anymore.

"Okay!" You feel energized and ready for action. "Maybe you have questions for me?"

'i have an awful lot of questions, buddy, but...' He falls silent again, probably thinking. 'i actually have a request to ask of you.'

"Um. Sure. What is it?" You're kinda curious what he's going to ask.

'i wanna see your soul. what it looks like.' His voice sounds... worried? You aren't really sure, but at least it's not like before, when it sounded like he was about to give up on life. That was awful. 'hope you don't mind.'

You gasp. Now that he mentions it, you really want to see it too!

"Of course!" you exclaim excitedly. "What should I do?"

'you can ask someone, but i don't think ya wanna do that.' You shake your head, forgetting for a moment that he can't see you. Somehow he gets it anyway. 'heh. that's what i thought.'

'ok. try this. raise...' Sans gets stuck for a moment. Looks like he's struggling with the same confusing thoughts regarding his body as you are. 'your... hand up to your chest and make a motion, like you're pulling somethin' out.'

You do exactly that, but nothing happens.

'hm.' He ponders for a bit. 'concentrate a bit harder. try to imagine your soul. how it sits inside of you and how it floats towards you when you pull it.'

This time you make a few different attempts. Experimenting, concentrating, making different hand motions. You have Sans' magic so there should be no problem with that, but you don't really know what your soul looks like. Probably like a heart, but you can't be sure.

'no-no.' You hear a tired sigh. 'you have to be adamant about it. it's crucial. whatever reason you have, you have to be certain in a wish to see someone's soul.'

"That does make sense, I guess," you admit and go back to business.

Finally you start to feel something. Like there is a small bird fluttering inside of you, trapped by the cage of your ribs, but ready to escape. You hang on to this image and make a wide motion like you're opening the door of the cage to free said bird.

With a gentle tug your soul escapes your chest. It floats away, but just for mere centimeters and then stops, hovering in the air like a little balloon.

You stare in awe. Your soul looks beautiful. Like a huge shining ruby that emits such bright crimson light it's almost blinding. But the most amazing thing is not exactly your soul, but what's inside of it...

Trapped, imprisoned within your soul, somewhat resembling a mosquito inside of amber, is a little upside-down heart. It's fairly small so your soul covers it completely, but even through the thick layer of red you can see that it's clean and white. So tiny, so pure, so fragile. The soul of Sans.

Slowly, like you're trying not to scare it away, you move your finger towards the floating heart.

'go ahead. touch it.' Sans' voice sounds a bit mischievous all of the sudden. 'i know you want to.'

'Are you sure?' You say stretching out the words.

'yeah. s'gonna be fun.' He urges you and you can practically see wide smile on his face.

'Well arighty then.' Whit that you push your arm forward.

The boney finger touches two combined souls and you enter some sort of a trance. You're confused as you feel yourself as two separate and yet combined persons. You can't explain it, is just too strange. But there is something blocking your way, some kind of mental block.

Curious, you push forward and go through the obstacle with surprising ease. And then your body goes rigid as your mind overflows with emotions and feelings that aren't your own. Fear, anger, sadness, all almost entirely overwritten by tiredness, but there is also curiosity and, deep down, little wilting flames of love and care.

It's so depressing.

There is so much stuff going on at the same time that your head is bursting, but even with all this you feel a presence inside your head growing. You briefly wonder what could it be, when you realize that as you're examining Sans' soul, he is examining yours back while he has the a chance. And you go with that opportunity to show that you are not a threat. You stop resisting the flood of emotions and let it flow through you, allowing Sans to explore as he pleases.

While you're at it, you try to wake up all of the positive emotions you have towards the monsters. How you think they are quirky and funny, how cute they are, how you think all of them deserve love and happiness. And then your thoughts drift off to Sans.

Now you're thinking about how mysterious he is, how his jokes always make you smile, how cool he is when he is angry...

Suddenly you realize that you probably shouldn't have broken Sans mental shield and you jerk your hand off the combined souls.

You sit for a while, calming down. Your head is spinning from this strange experience and if you had a heart right now, it would be pounding like crazy.

"I'm sorry Sans... I didn't mean to..." You begin to apologize.

'nah. it's alright. i started this.' He shrug it off. 'just... warn me next time, okay?'

You nod eagerly, glad that he isn't mad at you.

Some more time passes as you try to recover from the sheer awkwardness of what just happened. You're sitting and staring at your double-soul when you recall something that makes you worry.

"Wait. Sans. I thought monsters can't live without souls inside of their bodies?" You don't feel like you are dying, maybe what you know is false?

'huh. you are the curious type, aren't ya?' Surprisingly, Sans isn't asleep.

'Maybe that soul touching moment had shaken him up a bit.' You think with a smile and then you hear a quiet snort. 'What was that?'

'that was a good one.' Sans chuckles, but you do not feel like laughing.

"Are you... hearing my thoughts!?" Things are getting more and more awkward with every second. "When? How!?"

'i dunno. it just started after... you know. that.' He says, sounding a bit uneasy. 'sorry, i don't think i can stop it now.'

'if it counts, i didn't plan this. it just... happened.' Now you can clearly see him shrug, like he is in front of you for a second. You also feel a fuzzy echo of emotions that aren't yours.

'Can he feel my emotions to? Can he hear all that I think?' You thoughts are running around in your mind like a panicked roach, that got spotted on the kitchen at night.

'yes, kind of. and no, only... loud thoughts? s'hard to tell.' He shrugs again.

You would freak out, but looks like something inside of you ran out of "freak out fuel" and you just accept things as they go.

"Ah well." You sigh. "So what about monsters souls?"

'do you wanna get schooled? ok, i'll comply.' he winks at you. It's so weird to don't really see it, but just **knowing** it. Like your imagination is suddenly going wild.

'so, technically, souls can't go outside of a monster's body. that's true.' Sans does start to sound like a teacher. It's actually kinda fun. 'but only the magical body. physical body? doesn't matter much. we can extend our magical aura, so if soul is there, it still counts as "inside". does that make sense?'

"Um. I guess." You think you get that. "And what happens if the soul gets too far away?"

'well, that's why we let out our souls so rarely.' His voice is full of bitter irony. 'would be a shame to die just because you forgot your soul on a bench.'

"Huh. Yeah..." You turn away to look at the souls again. "Thank you for the explanation."

They are beautiful, sure, but there is something inside of your head, right on the border of your mind that you're forgetting. Something that is very, very important about all this.

'Two souls... Two souls combined... The souls of a monster and...' Then it strikes you like lightning. "A human soul!"

"Sans, do you understand it!?" You jump onto your feet extremely excited, bursting with emotions. You are practically yelling. "Do you understand what it means!?"

'i... uh... no?' He is very confused and if you could, you would grab and shake him.

Your yelling is filled with hope. "A human soul, Sans! You all can finally be free!"


	3. Reflection

"Isn't it awesome, Sans!?" You hear laughter. It would've been a great response, if it wasn't so bitter.

"Wha... what?" You frown. "Did I say something wrong?"

'not really, it's just...' Sans shakes his head. Again, weird to know it, without actually seeing it. 'your race trapped us 're in the first place. and it's so strange for a human to be so eager to set monsters free.'

"Huh, well, you'd better get used to it." There is no way he can break your optimism now. "Both to me being strange and to me wanting to free monsters!"

'heheh..." He laughs again. 'a'right. whatever ya say.'

"Now I just have to get to Asgore, absorb the rest of the human souls and break the barrier." Making plans for everyone to be happy is so much fun. "Pizza cake!"

'do you really think that Asgore will just hand them to you?' Sans raises a brow at you. Brow bone? Where can one get a book about magical skeletons and how they work?

"Well... I look like you, will he not give them to you?" It's never that easy, but who knows.

'give? heh. he doesn't even show them to anyone.' All you can do is sigh. Well of course it can't be that easy.

"But we can convince him, right?" There has to be a way. "Breaking the barrier is an important enough reason, right?"

'i wouldn't count on that.' Sans looks at you with his right eye closed. There is something unsettling in this little gesture. 'sides, don't count on my help either.'

"You still don't trust me?" you ask in a sad voice.

'i still don't trust you,' he echoes back.

"Oh come on, Sans! Don't be that way! The freedom of your kind is right here!" You point towards the combined souls which are still hovering in the air. "I just need you to help a little!"

'help a human to achieve god-like power?' He closes his eye sockets and shakes his head. 'nope. sorry. i'm not fond of that idea.'

"Ughhhh, fine!" The flames of your hope refuse to die. "I'll do it by myself, you'll see!"

Sans just shrugs in response.

"Okay, now let's shower real quick and head out." The last thing you want is to be smelly in a front of a royalty.

'pffffh...' How he even does this sound without lips? You really gotta stop question this sort of things. 'i'm sorry... what?'

You realize what you just said and feel embarrassment rising inside of you again.

"Well... I... It's not my fault you are so messy!" You try to defend yourself. "If you don't shower, then I have to do it for you!"

He just stares at you, failing to find any words.

"Hey. I mean... I don't judge you..." You withdraw, recalling his story and why exactly he is in such condition. "I know you've been through a lot."

'do ya now?' He squints at you suspiciously. 'huh. what exactly do you know?'

"Look. Sans." You slide a hand across your face. "I'll tell you everything I know on a way to the castle. Literally, everything. But AFTER the shower. Deal or no deal?"

He continues to stare at you, gaze full of spikes, like his eyes sockets suddenly turned into a pair of grumpy hedgehogs.

"I won't force you to it, but I would really appreciate if these bones would stop itching from all the dirt." You scratch your hand to emphasize your words. "So deal or no deal?"

Sans looks at you some more, thinking. It's probably a bad idea to make him uncomfortable like that but you are determined and won't go back on your words.

'deal,' he finally blurts out looking away...

You nod, pushing your embarrassment along with the souls back inside of your chest and go to find some clean clothes. Luckily your scavenging leads to success as you snatch a towel and a shirt that looks relatively clean to wear from the drawer. You also notice a couple of trombones in there.

'Trom _bones_. Of course.' You make a mental facepalm and yet you have to admit, it is kinda funny.

'glad you get the joke.' Sans sends you a mental wink.

"You are impossible." You sigh with a smile.

'i'll take it as a compliment.' He shrugs.

Shaking your head you exit Sans' room and stand for a moment, listening to the silence. Looks like Papyrus isn't home. Or maybe he is still sleeping. Either way it's good, as you don't want to pull an act more than you have to.

There seems to be stuff in the house that wasn't in the game. Like a door leading to the small balcony and another door leading to the bathroom.

You enter the latter and look around. Everything seems pretty normal and clean. Bathtub, washing machine, sink with two brushes in a mug and a mirror with all kind of weird stuff scattered on the shelves. No toilet though, but no surprise in that.

You reach the shelves to pick up one of the bottles and read: "MTT-Brand Anime Cuteness. Release your inner kawaii...? Uhh... Okay."

"I didn't know Papyrus is into anime." It's so silly, you can't help a smile.

'he's not. but he is into ads.' Even that sounds like a praise with the intonation that Sans speaks in. These adorable brothers make you feel all fuzzy inside.

"Fair enough," you chuckle. There is no doubt that Mettaton' ads are irresistibly flashy for such an impressionable skeleton as Paps.

Then your gaze catches a glimpse of a figure in the mirror. It's you… but not really.

Seeing real Sans as your own reflection is pretty damn surreal.

He looks even less like a human skeleton than Papyrus. And you have to admit that the in game sprite doesn't do him any justice, as his build is not that short and bulky and his head is definitely not that wide.

It's still pretty big though. Everything is big about this small guy. Big round head. Large gaping eye sockets with white pinpricks of light which are flying up and down right now, intently studying the reflection in the mirror. A set of big smooth teeth, partially displayed and partially covered by the flexible bone of his mouth. Huge bones for his arms, which are so thick that you could mistake them for actual hands. And a broad ribcage that is definitely inhuman too.

Overall his features make him look... cartoony? Or like a very well made 3-D model. It's unbelievable that he is real the way he is.

But he is real. And you are controlling his body right now. This idea is so nuts. You push it aside as you can't fully comprehend it anyway.

As you analyze Sans' face, there is some feeling in a back of your mind. Like something is wrong. Like something important is missing...

'now i understand why my brother was acting so strange with ya...' Sans' muttering pulls you out of your stupor.

A quick second glance in the mirror and it strikes you.

You aren't smiling.

The expression on Sans' reflected face is neutral, if not a bit shocked. It's missing his signature smile, the one that he never seems to let down. Like it's his shield against the blows of fate.

You cup your head to not look at your failure. You've done goofed at the very start. No wonder Papyrus was so uncharacteristically worried, not even calling his brother lazy once. He was probably confused to not see Sans smiling like usual. It's a miracle no one blew your cover yesterday.

You took a deep breath and put back the bottle that you were still holding all this time. It's enough of stalling on what you're about to do.

As you grab the edges of the Sans' shirt your mind start to panic. Suddenly, you aren't sure this was a good idea. 'Gosh... I... I can't believe I'm doing this.'

'same here,' you hear him grumble in response to your thoughts. 'so let's get this over with before i change my mind and be- _leave_.'

You giggle nervously.

Finally, you muster some courage to take off the shirt. The awkwardness of this situation is almost palpable, but you stay determined.

Then a bright idea visited your mind. An Idea for how to make it a bit less uncomfortable for both of you.

You quickly grab a towel and partly damped it in the sink. Using a wet towel you clean up your borrowed body to a somewhat presentable condition. It's still pretty embarrassing and you hear disapproving huffs from Sans, but at least your stubbornness was contented in the end.

"Okay. I think I'm done," you tell dressing yourself in a fresh shirt.

'great. i'm glad that's over,' Sans sighs, looking a bit grumpy but not at least he's not angry.

"You really don't like to take a bath, as I can see." You mock him playfully, feeling positive despite everything that is going on with you right now.

'yeah, i prefer to leave it where it is.' He throws a joke at you and you chuckle in response.

Finally, you exit the brother's house and declare with all the courage that you have inside of you, "C'mon Sans! We're going on an adventure!"


	4. A little journey

You curse yourself mentally. Speaking nonsense out loud in public is definitely not the smartest idea. Luckily there was no one around to notice.

With one last glance at the house, you start your march towards the king's castle. You feel shaky both from excitement and nervousness. There's no clear plan for what you should say or do when you reach your destination but you don't think anyone can really plan out something like this. And after all, moving forward beats sitting and doing nothing.

'don't forget that you can just think loud enough and i'll hear that,' Sans gives you a little reminder. 'i would actually prefer that.'

"Hm? Why?" you ask curiously.

'well. it's a little bit disturbing to talk to someone who has my voice, y'know? 'sides, your voice sounds pretty.' Did Sans just compliment you? Wow.

'Um, thank you…?' You try to think loudly. Whatever that means. 'Wait, what do you mean "my voice"?'

'your inner voice. the voice of your thoughts.' Apparently it worked. 'i assume it's your true voice.'

'Oh. Cool. Great to know I still have something left of me,' you think with a bitter smile.

'but you've gotta remember something, right?' Guess it is hard to believe that you really know nothing about yourself.

'Nope. Blank slate. But... ' It's hard to put into words but you decide to try. 'Sometimes I sense... something.'

'Like if I say something about myself I can feel if it's true or not, or when I do something I can feel that I did before or if it's my first experience with whatever. Like being a monster… I'm sure I wasn't a monster before. But all these feelings are just a hunch and not actual memories,' you explain with a touch of sadness. 'I don't remember my friends, my family or how my face looks... I don't even know my own name!'

'oh,' he replies, 'that sucks, buddy... i was just about to ask for it.'

'hm. guess i'll ask somethin' different then,' Sans speaks again as you thread slowly through the foggy area that separates Snowdin and Waterfall. 'sorry for the stupid question but do ya know how old you are?'

'I don't know... Sorry, no dates or numbers. Maybe a teen?' You scratch the back of your skull, like it could help bring some of the memories back. 'Can't tell for sure. Why do you ask?'

'heh.' The image of Sans hums and closes his eyes. 'just bein' curious.'

You've gotten past the orange fish-person standing near the big blue flower and stop by Sans' second checkpoint, looking forward at your first real challenge - Undyne's "puzzle" that consists of rocks falling constantly with a flow of water.

One hit and…

You don't really want to think about the consequences. Better not get hit at all.

Wobbling through the water, you watch intently as the boulders on top of the waterfall are about to tumble out on you. It was going fine until one sneaky rock almost hit you right in the head. You manage to duck to the other side, but can't keep your balance and fall into the water. Now your shorts are soaked.

"Greeeat. " You're definitely not happy about that.

'One thing I got out of this is that drenched slippers sure aren't the best footwear for avoiding falling rocks.' You think loudly as you get out of the water and catch your breath.

'you could even say they are...' Oh no here comes the joke, ' _slippery_.'

You groan, much to the delight of the smug skeleton in your head. You would've found this joke funny in a different situation but not now.

'What are you laughing at? It's your reputation that will be _stained_ if anyone sees you like this!' You pick a fight with Sans using his own weapon.

'do ya mean it would be as pretty as _stained_ glass?' he winks at you and you give up and snort. One does not simply out-pun the pun master.

'actually, nah. i don't really care about my reputation.' He shrugs. That makes you feel a little bit sad.

'so,' Sans says, suddenly sounding very serious. 'how 'bout that deal we had earlier? i hope you're not going back on it.'

'No-no!' This question was expected and still it caught you off guard. 'I mean... Of course I'll tell you everything.'

'well then.' His hallucination-like image fixes its gaze at you. That smile of his is plastered on his face as usual and yet you feel tension seeping out from him. Or maybe it's your own anxiety. You aren't exactly sure. 'i'm all ears.'

You stand still for some time gathering your thoughts. A small group of monsters walk past you, minding their business.

'So... ' you begin hesitantly, 'As I already told you, I don't remember anything about me. But... I do remember everything about one little game called Undertale.'

'and how's that connects to anything?' Sans asks, confused.

'In every possible way, Sans.' He lifts his brow bone at you, clearly not getting where are you going with this.

'Because you're in this game.' you explain. 'All of you. Or, well, at least the majority of important monsters of the Underground.'

Sans falls silent and you continue your walk, letting him digest the information.

'go on,' he urges you after a few moments.

'It starts with the story,' you talk as you go forward, 'You know, the one about the war and the barrier but there is also part about a human child falling down Mt. Ebott.'

'As the player controls the fallen child, they make their way through the Underground, facing monsters that inhabit the place. ' Sans listens quietly, without interrupting.' Sparing them, befriending some of them or…'

'It's... hard for me to tell you that but I promised I would tell everything and it's important, so...' you are nervous. You're pretty sure Sans wouldn't like what he's about to hear. 'Yeah... The player can be peaceful or... fight and even kill every single encounter.'

Your vision of Sans is now obscured by darkness, like he has cut off all contact with you. It sends a shiver down your spine and you welcome the brief distraction in the form of a flower bridge puzzle with open arms.

The flowers are pretty and smell nice but they are also huge and heavy. As you struggle to lift one of them up you feel tension around your skeleton arms which could've been from muscle tension if you had any.

"How odd…" you mumble, wondering if this is the skeleton version of muscles but made out of magic.

'yes,' you hear a sudden response, 'it is.'

At least Sans is talking to you, that's a good sign, right? 'Do you want for me to continue?'

'sure,' he says blankly.

'So the player is greeted by a flower, who turns out to be evil and then saved by a nice lady... Oh, yeah!' You got a bit excited. 'You know her! It's that lady behind the door!'

'you mean toriel?' he asks, curiosity making its way back to his voice.

'You know her name?' It's a bit surprising to you, considering that they properly meet only at the end of the game.

'and you know even about that? huh.' Sans hums thoughtfully. 'we didn't exchange names, yet, i just... made a wild guess. turns out i was right.'

'how much information is in there exactly...?' he mutters, looking away.

'A lot and not enough at the same time,' you respond and then continue your tale.

You decide to start with describing the pacifist run, because you still shiver from Sans' reaction to the possibility of hurting monsters in the game.

While solving flower puzzles you tell Sans about Toriel, how adorable she is with her motherly care, pie and snail facts and how sad it was to say goodbye to her. It seems to cheer him up a bit.

As you about to describe meeting with him and his brother you enter the wishing room and your breath is swept away.

The cave is so big and dark you can't make out the ceiling. But it's the darkness of the local replacement of the sky that makes the twinkling of the huge, faraway gemstones looks like stars. So alike and yet different; special and unique in their own right.

'like what ya see?' Sans asks you, probably watching through your eyes too.

'It's really beautiful!' you reply to him excitedly. 'Amazing even! I always wanted to see it but it's even better than I imagined.'

'heh, well.' He smiled, maybe a bit more sincere than usual. 'good for you.'

You gaze at the gemstones for a bit, listen to the echo flowers whispering quiet wishes and move towards the wall blocking your passage. You remember that you need to check it, but how would you do it in real life? Unsure, you put your hand on the wall and slide it down until something clicks and then the wall just... disappears.

"Huh." You flinch away in surprise. 'Magic's weird.'

Then you enter a room full of stone plates with monster history engraved on them. You read few lines here and there.

'Yep. I've read this before,' you think, eyeing the unsettling picture of a monster with a human soul that vaguely reminds you of Asriel.

'so you tellin' me that this game... is an exact duplicate of the underground? ' Sans asks in a tone you can't really sort out.

'Mostly, yes. As far as I can compare right now,' you answer. 'But there are differences here and there. Though they are minor and, well, it's a simple pixelated game. Not much room for details.'

'i see,' he responds and you go back to searching.

You look for a way to get across the water but the little raft is nowhere to be seen and without it, you're stuck in here.

When you start to consider swimming as a method to get to the other side, a big round blob emerges from the water. The pink face bears such cute, anime-esque expression that you barely hold back a laugh.

"Three gold for the ferry," the face says in a funny high-pitched voice. "Hop on!"

You cautiously step on the pink monster and they dart away so fast that you're on the other side in the blink of an eye.

As you climb on to the little wooden piers, the blobby monster gives you three coins and says, "Thanks for stepping on my face!"

'Monsters are SO weird,' you think, shaking your head.

Feeling a bit giddy, you finally get to tell Sans about encountering him in the game. He hums thoughtfully and it sounds like he's pleased by his depiction.

'and then rimshot? really?' he laughs, when you describe the scene where he puns with Papyrus. 'heheh. it does sounds like somethin' i would come up with.'

You got past the cheese stuck in a magical crystal, Sans' pranking telescope and nice cream guy cove, all while talking about your in-game adventures in Snowdin.

Blue. The color blue everywhere. In the gemstones shining around and above you, in the brightly glowing cyan water beneath your feet and in the whispering azure echo flowers blooming all over the place.

It's so calm. So pretty. It looks and feels like you've ended up in a fairytale.

Which is kind of true if you think about it. You walk through wonderful scenes, talking about your favorite game with a really cool guy you never thought you'd actually meet.

It would've been like a dream come true under different circumstances but like this... you can't relax and enjoy yourself. Well, maybe a bit, but not fully.

'hm. y'know what,' Sans breaks into your thoughts. 'i think i get the gist of it. this game is disturbingly close to reality.'

'but can you just fill me in on the most important information?' he asks after a slight pause, 'and leave, uh, small details for later?'

'Oh, you are right... I don't have to tell you stuff you probably know already.' You suddenly feel dumb. 'My bad.'

'heh. that's alright. you're talking 'bout me and my brother so excitedly it's hard to tell you to stop.' he chuckles. 'hm… now, i understand when you talk about my bro. he is the best and the friendliest guy ever... but what's so good about me?'

You feel a strong urge to tell him everything, but decide to tease him a little bit, 'Are you asking for compliments?'

'hehehe.' he laughs. 'nah, i'm just curious, really.'

'Too bad! Because you're getting compliments!' You're rewarded with a surprised stare.

'First - you are funny. It's fun to be around you! Second - you love your brother so much, it's completely adorable! Third - you are mysterious, as you do and know stuff that is strange even by monster standards!' Your rant makes Sans uncomfortable but in a nice way.

'And the last thing...' You stop, pondering on the touchy subject you're about to bring up. 'You... Well. You are like a hero in the game. The last line of defense for everyone.'

'now that's just ridiculous.' he chuckles but you clearly feel the strong wave of worry that isn't your own. 'I hate to _crack_ your theory but i'm just a simple _egg_ head.'

'I have to disagree. You are _egg_ cellent,' you play along before turning serious. 'But really. If the truth is anything like the game... Then I know that you can teleport, that you are very, very strong if you want to be and you even have some sort of a secret weapon called Gaster-Blasters, right?'

During your speech Sans looks very nervous. Sweat dotting on his skull, pinpricks of light shifting left and right but at your last words he just stops. He freezes as his eye sockets turn pitch black and you're struck by a sudden burst of headache and fear.

'How Do You Know That Name, Human?' That voice makes you slide to the ground and curl into yourself, trembling under the look he gives you.

'I-t-t's i-in the game f-files...' you respond, shivering and stuttering when you're finally able to speak again. Sans can sure be freaking terrifying if he wants to!

The pain in your head is unbearable and the image of Sans flinches and grabs his head. Looks like he's struggling with the same pain.

'how could i forget... how could i...' he mumbles quietly as the waves of pain slowly die down. Sans doesn't appear threatening anymore, just really confused and sad.

Something squeezes in your chest, probably your soul, as you want to hug and reassure this poor guy. You don't even care that he scared you to death just a minute ago. 'D-did I say something wrong?'

'no... no. it's okay.'He sighs and looks at you apologetically. 'sorry i scared you. but... how? how do you know this stuff? how can it be in this game-thing?'

Sans is so lost right now, you've yet to see him so shaken, 'Um... Well. Teleportation is hinted here and there in the game, like Doggo saying that you disappear without moving and the other stuff...'

'Remember I told you that the player can fight monsters in the game?' You hesitate for a bit, you don't really want to talk about this. 'You see... If every single monster in every single area is dead, the player has to face you in the last corridor. And only then and there will you actually fight by using weird attacks that weren't anywhere in the game beforehand... Including teleportation and blasters.'

'But!' you blurt out before Sans gets a chance to say anything. 'I never did that! I never killed a single monster, well... not on purpose. I watched other people do it, because I was curious and...

'Ugh, I know! It's not better at all! I'm so sorry...' An awkward silence settles in for a while as you take a stroll down guilt road. These characters felt real and alive for you even before you actually find out that they ARE very much real and alive, which only boosts your sadness from witnessing them dying.

'you know...' Sans says, after few minutes that felt like hours to you. 's'not a big deal. it's just a game.'

'You know it's not just a game!' You shake your head. 'It's all as real as it can get, now I know it for sure.'

'don't beat yourself over it, pal. you didn't hurt any monsters for real... right? so that's somethin'.' There's logic in his words and now you feel bad for making a scene over nothing.

'Ugh, I'm such a turd. I'll stop moping right now.' You get up from the ground and shake off some dirt from your borrowed clothes.

'no worries,' he says, even though he keeps sending you waves of worry. 'now i would really like to hear what you know about... Gaster...'

'Sure thing, Sans. But I don't know much...' You try to recall everything you found on the game wiki or hear from people online. 'Doctor W.D. Gaster. Probably Wingdings Gaster, but there was no proof of that. According to his followers, which are really hard to find, he was the previous royal scientist and created the CORE before... Before he fell into his creation and his life was cut short.'

Sans is holding his head looking down, expression unreadable. You feel pain build up in your head again.

'Do YOU know him?' you ask cautiously.

'i... i don't remember.' He's shaking, struggling with something. 'i'm trying to, but it just gives me a headache...'

'so that's why...?' he mutters to himself. 'it feels very important...'

'I'm sorry that I made you feel this way...' You hang your head.

'don't be sorry.' Sans tells you firmly. 'actually... thanks. it's a good thing. i don't know why, but... uh, never mind.'

'No problem.' You smile a little smile in relief.

The road forward brings you to the small gap in the ground filled with water of unknown depth and you don't think you can make this jump with your short legs. The only creature you can see nearby is a small yellow bird.

You look at the bird and then back to the gap and recall something.

"Hey little buddy." You crouch in front of the bird. "Can you help me get across?"

That bird must be very eager to help, as it immediately flies to you, grabs you by the collar of your jacket and carries you across the water, struggling, but not letting go.

Your feet touch the ground again as the bird lands in front of you. "Whoa, thanks! You're awesome!"

The bird hides its beak under its wing shyly, 'Such a cutie.'

Making your way near the garbage dump you see Aaron and Woshua splashing each other playfully in a nearby pool of water. Looks like they're having fun.

You notice something and come to a halt.

'Sans? Can you see this?' you ask nervously.

'huh? what is it? i don't see... 'he stops abruptly. 'what the... is that a human?'

In the shadows of the giant piles of garbage there is a silhouette of a child. You decide to come closer.

"Hey, kid. What are you..." you start to talk while slowly approaching tiny figure and then immediately burst into laughter.

It's just a lamp.

God damn "conveniently" shaped lamp!

You can't stop laughing and soon Sans joins you too. You both stand there laughing, foiled by a piece of furniture and somehow being happy about it.

'I can't believe this thing is real and WORKING,' you think after you calm down enough to think straight.

'i know right.' Sans responds, smiling widely. You are happy he's feeling fine again. Or at least you hope he does.

After that silly episode your journey brings you to the shop of Gerson. You hear voices coming from the inside and stop to listen for a moment.

"Wa ha ha!" It's clearly Gerson talking. "To tear a tank in half you first need to get close to it! And I bet it wouldn't be easy."

"Ngah!" And he is clearly talking with Undyne, "Then I'll just stuff it with spears from afar!"

You aren't sure if you should laugh or be terrified at Undyne's determination to go against a tank.

'hey, buddy. eavesdropping is not cool.' Sans nudges you, but he doesn't sound angry.

'Hah. Sorry, you're right.' You back away from the cave. 'You're like my inner conscience.'

'i guess i'm a bit like a conscience... either sleeping or chewing.' he laughs, but somehow this joke just makes you sad.

'Don't say, that Sans. I know you are better than this.' He doesn't respond.

Looking around you notice a pathway down to the water. There is a boat floating there. You made a mental facepalm. 'River person! I could've at least TRIED to look for them in Snowdin! Ugh!'

Irritated by your short memory, you walk closer to the figure standing on their boat. At least you can use some help now to get to Hotland a bit faster.

"Tra la la. Hello. It's a nice day for croquet... but so every other day." Their voice sounds strange and muffled, like their mouth covered with a rag. "Care for a ride?"

"Uh. Hi." You try to put up a convincing smile and climbed on board. "How about a trip to Hotland?"

"Off we go," and with that boat start to move on its own. What can you say? Magic.

"Tra la la." River Person start to sing after few minutes of traveling along. "Don't trust the man who speaks in hands."

This phrase startles you, "W-what do you know about this man?"

"I..." they hesitate for a bit. "I don't remember. But it doesn't really matter."

You feel like yelling at them that it matters very freaking much, but decide against it.

'why so _rattled_ , buddy?' Sans probably sensed the outburst of your emotions. 'what's goin' on?'

'There was a theory...' you sigh, bracing yourself for more headache. 'That Gaster is the man who speaks in hands. Because there's a secret message hidden in the game files. It's written in wingdings. A font that uses various symbols, including pictures of hands.'

'so there's more information?' Sans is frowning at you. 'what does this message say?'

'Yes. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I can't be sure it's relevant... It's all just theories,' you reply, still feeling a bit guilty. 'I don't remember exactly how this message goes,but it's something about darkness growing even more darker and that the next experiment seems to be very interesting. And also there is a question in the end "What do you two think?" I always wonder who these two could be...'

As you predicted, the headache starts again. It hurts so much you hunch under the pressure. You just hope that the River Person didn't notice that.

The rest of the way goes in silence and much to your relief the headache stops fairly soon.

"Come again some time. Tra la la," cloaked figure says in a sing-song tone as you leave the boat and press forward.

Heated air blurs your vision, but you still can see lava and scorched earth everywhere with no sign of grass or trees. It feels silly to be wearing a jacket right now, but you don't actually feel the hot temperature that surrounds you. It weirds you out that monster skeletons can in fact sweat, but apparently not from the heat.

Listening to your body you suddenly realize that you feel weak. There are also some other strange feelings that you never experienced before. You panic. 'Sans, help! I don't know what's going on! Why am I feeling weird?'

'hehehe.' He laughs at your reaction. 'it's a thing called hunger. you haven't eaten anythin' aside from that spaghetti, have ya?'

'No...' you feel ashamed. How could you get scared of hunger? But then again, it doesn't feel like the hunger you're used to.

'then go get some hot dogs at my stand or whatever.' He shrugs.

'You said you're not going to help me...?' you ask curiously. 'Not that I'm complaining.'

'well. it's my body after all. do ya think i wanna die from starvation?' he says, eyes closed.

'Sorry. Dumb question.' You feel a twist of guilt again.

You backtrack for a bit to find a checkpoint-slash-hot dog stand. After a brief search, you discover few boxes with buns and... water sausages? 'Sans... are you sure these are edible?'

'too scared to try? don't have the _guts_ for it?' He winks at you.

'Very funny,' you roll your eyes.

Bracing yourself for a weird snack you take a bite out of the combination of bread and cattail stalk. It turns out to be almost tasteless and just a little bit grassy, but with ketchup it tastes alright.

After stuffing your face with few more hot dogs you instinctively grab a bottle of ketchup and take a swig of it. Then you freeze, realizing what just happened.

Looks like Sans' body dictates its tastes to you, as you aren't sure that you were into drinking condiments before. It's actually quite unsettling.

With a new fit of energy you decide to talk a bit more. Not like you have anything to do on your final push to the castle anyway.

'Sans,' you call him just to hear a sleepy hum in response.

'I didn't finish telling you about everything I know. There's some very important stuff left. But, um…' You hesitate after hearing a yawn, 'If you want to sleep I'll leave you to it.'

'nah. i'm listenin'.' The image of the small skeleton appears in your head again. You didn't even notice that it was gone before.

You talk all the while as you walk and ride the elevators. There's nothing stopping you as the elevators are functioning properly without Alphys tinkering with them. You tell Sans as much as you know about everything. About Flowey and Asriel, about Frisk and Chara, about bad and happy endings.

This time you don't get much reaction out of him, just some unreadable emotions stirring on the outskirts of your mind.

'And I'm about to give you the happy ending you deserve!' you proclaim proudly. 'I did it in the game and now I can do it for real too! Can you imagine that?'

'yeah...' looks like Sans is lost in his thoughts. 'this is nuts.'

'Do you still think I'm lying?' You can't blame him, all the things that you've said are probably shocking to him.

'honestly? dunno.' he shrugs. 'your information gives me a lot of puzzle pieces and i'm thankful for that but i can't be sure that all of this is correct... you get what i'm sayn'?'

You sigh, 'I guess so.'

The last corridor. You've made it. The next stop is the throne room where you hope to find king Asgore.

It's beautiful in here. Warm yellow light filling everything through the stained glass. Huge white pillars standing strong. Cheerful chirping of the birds can be heard from the outside. Smells like the garden that is waiting for you in the next room

It's beautiful, but it's also unnerving.

Sans is worried about something too, you can feel that. 'listen, buddy. are you sure you wanna do that? i still have a ton a questions for you and...'

'A _skele_ -ton?' you interrupt him.

'heh. yeah,' he chuckles.

'Look, Sans, I know what I'm doing. I'm going to free everyone today and after that, maybe we can both regain our lost memories. I have a mighty hope that the power of seven human souls will help us with that,' you say with a inner voice full of determination.

'i dunno 'bout that...' he mutters but he is powerless to stop you.

'King Asgore is so big and fluffy.' That's the first thought that comes to your mind as you see him for a first time.

The king of all monsters is sitting on the throne right now. So grand and regal with his crown and horns shining in the rays of sun that are seeping through the cracks in the mountain. He is thinking about something, looking at the flowers beneath him.

You put up the best fake smile you can and cough to gain his attention.

"Oh." He raises his head to look at you. "Howdy, Sans."

"Do you have a business to discuss with me?" he continues as you're stuck thinking if you should call him "your majesty" or not. "Wait, don't tell me! Let's go to the kitchen and we can discuss it over a nice cup of tea."

"That sounds nice," you reply with a smile that turned sincere. He is a good guy after all. It's hard imagining him killing kids... Not that you want to imagine that at all.

Now you're sitting in the chair, fumbling with a cup of sweet-scented tea in your arms, when you realize that you lied to Sans. You don't actually know what you are doing.

"So, what brought you to me?" Asgore asks you friendly and you really don't know what to say to him.

Suddenly, you recall one small but crucial detail.

If you remember correctly, monsters can release captured souls at will. At least Asriel did it in the game. So Asgore has no reason to give you the rest of the souls. If you say that you have a human soul right now, he will surely ask you to give it to him so he can break the barrier, just as he promised to his people.

A drop of sweat slides down your skull, the edges of your fake smile twitching.

It might be false but you don't want to risk it. Sure you want to free all of the monsters but there has to be another way. You don't want to die and you don't want to be Asgore's prisoner for god knows how long. You have to think of something else.

Your gaze darts across the room. Awkward silence is buzzing in the air as you try to come up with something, anything that will get you out of this situation and then your glance catches a vase with yellow flowers in it. The flowers originating from the surface.

You finish your tea in one big gulp and put the cup back on the table.

Now you know what you must do.


	5. Unprepared

"Can I, please, look at the barrier? I have one theory that I would like to check." You say firmly. As much as you possibly can, while feeling so anxious.

"But of course! It's not a problem at all." Asgore stood up, inviting you to follow him. "Let's go."

The walls of eternal prison for an entire race are shining with sunlight. It even looks like rays of light are trapped inside of it.

The air around the barrier is vibrating and humming with power so immense, that even you - with your lack of knowledge about magic - can sense it. So huge and so intimidating that you feel so small and weak in front of it. But you stay determined.

Asgore watches from the background, friendly curiosity on his face. You would prefer for him not to look, but you can't just shoo away the king in his own castle.

You get closer to the magical wall and touch it, expecting your hand to phase through it, but nothing happens.

A panicked thought visited your mind, 'Wha... Why is this not working!?'

But then you begin to feel something inside of you resonating with the barrier.

Being the brave fool that you are, you release the souls from your chest without a second thought about it. Crimson light filled the room, giving you away entirely. Asgore gasps, but he doesn't interfere just yet.

You slide your combined souls toward the barrier and they slip inside of it, like a knife through butter, painting large chunks of the wall in different shades of red.

Like an ice-breaker, they dig into the barrier's structure, slicing it up just enough for you to step inside.

Asgore finally starts to suspect something and comes rushing towards you. He's trying to say something, but it's too late. You are already inside of the barrier and it reforms itself behind you.

It's scary.

The pressure is all around you, making you feel claustrophobic. For a moment you're afraid that your soul power wouldn't be enough to keep the barrier from crushing you or trapping you inside of its walls forever.

Yet, just another step and it's all over. Easy as that you leave the barrier behind.

The sun is shining, slowly making its way to the top of the sky. Bright morning light is a almost blinding to you after the somber shades of the Underground kingdom, but you pay no mind.

As far as you can see from the edge of the cliff you're standing on, there are green hills, forests and mountains, and also a bunch of skyscrapers lingering on the horizon.

It's peaceful and quiet, no one around, but you're not feeling lonely. After all, you have someone to share the view with.

'First time on the surface, Sans?' you ask your head roommate. 'I mean, no weird déjà vu feelings or anything?'

'nope.' Your inner vision depicts Sans standing near you, looking into the horizon, even though he's probably watching through your eyes right now. So weird.

'Like what you see?' you ask with a smile.

'yep.' He is spare of speech, but that look on his face... There is something there that he's trying and failing to hide right now.

'It's a shame, you know?' you sigh, suddenly feeling a bit sad. 'That I can't give you a proper happy ending the way I did in the game.'

'huh. s'not like it's your fault or anything.' He shrugs, keeping his gaze glued to the sky.

'Well, I guess you're right, but I still feel like something is wrong...' you sigh again. 'But at least you get to meet the sun! Isn't exciting?'

'yeah. it's _dawning_ on me.' You can feel it. He is excited. There is a small echo of hope inside of your soul that doesn't belong to you, but to someone else.

You laugh. That's how you like your Sans! Making puns AND being hopeful. You want for him to always be like that.

Deep breath. The air is so fresh, it makes your head spin for a moment. You've decided something for yourself.

'Sans?' you ask, a cunning glint in a look you give him.

'yeah, buddy?' he responds to you quietly.

'I'll make you happy.' You are rewarded by choked noise of confusion.

'I'll make you and every monster happy, no matter how hard it will be!' You are adamant in that, even if it sounds stupid. 'No matter what, I'll help in any way I can!'

You are filled with hope. You are filled with confidence. You are filled with love for every monster.

You are filled with DETERMINATION.

And with that you start your descent from atop the mountain.

'that's... uhhh... pretty _bald_ of you to say and are you sure you're _head_ ing the right way?' Sans is pretty confused, but he's still punning.

At first you huff, but can't help laughing again. 'I dunno Sans, but I hope I'm not _heading_ _south_.'

Sans responds with a quiet snort and you feel proud of yourself. 'good one, pal. good one.'

'but really.' There are mixed emotions coming from him right now. 'you are one crazy human, huh?'

'What do you mean by that?' You ask, but it's not like you disagree.

'i can't believe you just got through the barrier like that.' He shakes his head, looks like he's still in shock. 'say. how and why did ya come up with that?'

'That's easy. It's what Asriel did back when... you know.' you look down. The story of these kids is even more tragic now that you know it's real. 'And also, it's what Toriel tells Asgore in the game. That he could go on the surface and get all the souls in one go.'

'oh. I... never really thought about it. now i wonder why he never did that...' There is something in his voice. Something unsettling.

'Asgore? Well... Actually, I think that he had a point.' You decided to step in for goat dad. 'He gave you monsters hope by declaring war on humanity, but he didn't actually want to hurt anybody, right?'

'And war can't go well for monsters.' You sigh. The truth is not as pretty as you wish for it to be. 'Humans... we can be extremely dangerous when we're scared. And we are constantly scared.'

'Now, we are FAR more civil these days, than back then!' Still, an optimist is what you are. 'Not perfect at all, but getting better. But Asgore didn't know that. Besides, there's still that anomaly... I... I just hope it's only Flowey. And that we can stop him with the power of souls.'

'I also don't know if it's that easy to get a human soul...' You sigh again, suddenly regretting your spontaneous decision to rush through the barrier. 'I should've tried to ask Asgore about that, but it's too late now.'

'whaddaya plannin' then?' You wonder if Sans still doesn't trust your intentions, but decide not to ask.

'I want to try few things. But!' you think firmly. 'I definitely don't want to kill people!'.

'can't say i don't respect that.' He shrugs in response.

'I saw a city on the horizon.' You continue. 'And where there is a city, there are lots of humans! I'm sure I'll think of something along the way there.'

'you're dead set on this, huh? so much determination.' You aren't sure if he is serious or mocking you.

'Why yes. Yes I am.' You, however, are very serious.

A few hours later you definitely regret your rushed decision. You are not prepared for this at all. Climbing down is not easy even if you have proper equipment and you have none.

Sometimes to get down you have to jump from pretty high ground and every time you're afraid that you'll break something or even die, because you have no idea if Sans' fragile bones can take any damage at all.

Not to mention the loose rocks and cracks in the mountain structure that you have to look out for. You learn that the hard way, losing your slipper and your cool when you start to slide down towards a gaping hole in the ground.

Then there is also thick shrubbery that slows you down, tearing your clothes and tiring you out.

Utterly exhausted you sit down under a small tree. You don't know if you were a good hiker as a human, but Sans' body is definitely not up for the task.

You look up.

'reconsidering?' your imaginary depiction of Sans looks tired. Looks like this trip is taking its toll on him too. And yet he still seemed cheerful along the way, joking time to time and mocking you on the occasion.

'No.' You think, because there's no option to go back now. Instead of options there's Agore, who will surely be waiting for you and your explanations. You aren't even sure you can find a way back.

'But I am considering taking a nap.'you stretch your arms as your borrowed body hum with slight pain. Probably magical muscles or whatever.

'now we're speakin' my language.' He smiles at you.

You close your eyes. Sun basks you with pleasant warmth, the quiet wind whispers something soothing to the side of your skull and, pretty soon, you fall asleep.

Waking up is not as easy, as if your eyes sign a petition to not open up anymore and it feels like every little bone in your body is in pain. Somewhere on the outskirts of your mind Sans groans in his sleep. Looks like he's having a bad time too.

You win the battle against your eyes, forcing them to open up and look around. It's getting dark already. You are feeling the same thing as before, that magical equivalent of hunger and, quite possibly, thirst too.

"Stupid. It's so stupid..." You whine quietly. "How can I be so stupid?"

No equipment, no food, no water and no flashlight. How are you going to do anything? It's not like your optimism and determination can light up your path and quench your thirst.

You stood up and shake your head, forcing away panic and oppression. There is nothing else to do but to move forward and hoping for the best.

Down, down and down you go. With every jump, slide and careful step you're getting closer to the bottom of the mountain. Soon enough, the path is not so steep anymore and bushes turn to forest. It's a lot easier to go forward now.

The sun is setting, hiding behind the mountain ridge, when you notice something. Despite the lack of sunlight, or any light sources at all, you still see fairly well. Looks like you have discovered another thing about skeleton monsters. They can see in the dark. Or maybe it's just a Sans thing. Heck if you know.

Your journey leads you to the country road that you saw briefly from up the mountain. You have a legit path to follow now, but it's also dangerous.

You are a monster, or, well, inside of a monster's body, and you can't afford to be seen, so you put your hood on. It's good that your hood is still attached to your jacket, even thought you had to fight for it with quite a few mean shrubs back at the mountain. Hopefully this disguise will be enough for now.

It's so quiet. Maybe too quiet. Sans is sleeping and you don't want to wake him up, poor guy has had enough for one day. You've probably had enough too, but you just can't stop moving. You keep going forward, like there is no tomorrow.

It's quiet. Only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the sound of your steps, when something screams in the distance. You shiver, although it's probably just a bird or some small animal.

'Definitely not a monster.' You think with a bitter smile.

Some more time passes as you walk mindlessly, following the road. Pushed forward by hunger and determination, you're probably as close as you can get to a zombie right now.

It's then that you find a place that suits you just right. A cemetery.

'Looks like I'm lucky tonight.' you think, making a mental check on your list of where to look for leftover human souls.

Tombstones, memorials, crosses. Not the fanciest of places to be in the night. You would prefer to sit in a cafe or to lie in a cozy bed, but that's probably not going to happen soon.

Something rustles in the bushes behind you. You look around, but there is no one there. Probably just your imagination or the wind.

Going among the fences you look intently, searching for any sign of a colorful glow or anything else that would give away a soul still hiding inside of a human body.

Dozens of minutes later, you still can't find anything of interest. 'Looks like this one is a dead end. Oh well. Better lu...'

Your thoughts are quite rudely interrupted.

With a solid _thunk,_ something hard and heavy comes down, crushing your skull and making your would explode with unbearable pain.

The last thing you hear before your consciousness fades away and your dust scatters across the gravestones, is an old man's voice mumbling something about gosh darn dead people that should stay inside of their graves on his watch.


	6. Light and darkness

Nothingness.

Empty. Everything is just empty. Even you. You are empty.

There is nothing, but a thought.

One single thought in the darkness. 'It cannot end like this.'

And after that silent whisper, there come more, flooding the void with a soundless echo. 'I have failed.', 'I screwed up.', 'It was awful…', 'But I can't die!', 'I don't want to die and I don't want for Sans to die either!'

You try to reach for your save file.

But nothing happens.

You try to reset.

Nothing happens.

You try to reset the world again.

...

Nothing.

Yet you refuse to give up. You refuse to die. You let yourself down, you let Sans down, you let down so many people. You have to fix it. You have to stay determined!

A flare of red fills everything for a second. Or maybe for eternity. There is no time to measure.

Now you feel yourself back again. Though not as a person, but as a soul. You also feel that Sans' soul is here too. He is still with you. That's somewhat relaxing.

But where exactly are you?

You stare into the void. It's black, but also white and vise versa. Not still, like you'd imagine, no. It's moving, crawling like an anthill and when you look closer you can see that instead of ants it's crawling with... 'Letters...?'

They swirl all around you, most forming into words and some words forming into sentences.

The closest line to you says. 'The closest line to... Wait what? What is this?!'

You try to move forward, when you realize that you can't go past a certain point, like some invisible force blocks your pass. As soon as you stop, you look around and read "feeling like", "to move forward", "crimson light".

Then you go back and read "words forming", "no time to measure', "silent whisper".

'What even is this place!?' You start to panic.

There is no one here to answer you, and yet you have a feeling like there are eyes watching you, studying you, reading you like a book.

Suddenly, you decide to wave. You don't know why or how you do it, but you think about raising your hand and waving to the void. It's weird and you feel kind of dumb for doing so.

But then **_void waves back at you._**

It's nonsense, yet you just feel it, that it waved back at you. Is it friendly? Is it mocking you? Heck if you know. It's just terrifying. Everything right now too much and terrifying.

'Why this place filled with letters anyway? Like it consists of them... Is this like some sort of purgatory for the people who like texting too much?' You try to think logically. Emphasis on _try_.

There is a slippery thought in your mind, that keeps escaping from you. You must catch it by the tail. You have to focus.

'Letters, sentences, lines... lines of code!' you shout or you would, if it were possible to make any sound here.

'But no... it's just lines.' Your excitement doesn't last long. 'But there are snippets of something familiar, like it happened before and there is something new... Future? Possible future?'

You don't know. You don't know how any of this can help you to came back to life. Yet you have to figure it out.

After all, it's not just you who stuck in here.

Something strange starts to twist inside of you. Something that comes from your determination to live, to move forward, to keep the promises that you give. You hold on to that feeling and it pulls you somewhere else.

You are outside of everything now. It's like watching the whole world from a different perspective and it looks... flat? It's so weird.

There is also a new feeling, a strange one, that is hard to comprehend. You have the feeling that you can turn back the pages or slide a finger on a phone screen or click a mouse button or something like that, and change the world. So you do just that.

Struggling, forcing the change, with pulsating crimson light filling everything, even your entire existence, you turn the pages, the world, space and time.

 _You are back to page one._

There is a strange feeling in your whole body. Your head spins. Soft light flickers and your vision is blurry.

Slowly coming to your senses you find yourself in a strange snowy forest. You could have sworn you weren't here just a second ago, but... where were you? You don't remember.

Then suddenly, the memories are flooding back.

You flinch at the pressure of everything. The air, the light, the snow underneath your feet, the memories of things that cease to exist and just... **life** . Being alive again and having a body around your soul is somehow unusual for you, after of seeming eternity of being dead.

"I'm back..." You whisper, not truly believing in it. The voice of Sans coming from your mouth makes you flinch again.

'Oh god... Sans…' You feel unwell, trying to call for him in your mind. 'Sans, are you here!?'

No answer.

'PLEASE! Say something!' Tears start to well up in your eye sockets. What if you left him there in the nothingness? What if-

'mhhh...' You hear a sleepy sigh. 'what's the fuss?'

The relief you feel almost swipes you off your feet.

'Oh my god, Sans... I... I thought that...' your inner voice falters. 'I thought you were still dead...'

'well, i was sleeping _like dead_ , but som...' he stop joking when he finally realizes how panicked you are. 'what happened?'

'I... I... I think someone killed us.' You take a deep shuddering breath, forcing the tears back and calming yourself a bit. 'I felt like something hit my head, back at the surface and then... oh, it's hard to explain, but there was nothing and then letters and then somehow I rewound everything back…?'

Sans listens to your chaotic explanations. You aren't sure if he understood even half of it. 'buddy, it doesn't sounds good.'

'Yeah...' you agree, looking down at two snow-cowered slippers. Seeing both of them back on your feet kind of helps you with coming to terms with what just happened. 'At least you remember me so that's something...'

'so you're tellin' me here, that you posses the same po...' Sans tries to say something, but the ending of his sentence is overshadowed by a loud voice.

"SANS!" It is the second time this loud, tall skeleton has managed to sneak up on you.

"I CAME TO CHECK UP ON YOU, BROTHER! GLAD TO SEE YOU NOT SLEEPING ON YOUR JOB... THIS IS PROGRESS!" he rambles the same thing as you've heard once before.

'No-ho-ho... Paps... I love you, cool dude that you are, but now really is not the time!' you whine mentally.

Pull yourself together, you manage to put up some sort of a smile and turn around to greet Papyrus. At least you hope it looks like a smile and not like a twisted grimace.

"PROGRESS TOWARDS NOT LOSING YOUR JOB! YOU, LAZYBONES!" He finishes, expression stern. Now that's new. Looks like he bought your half-baked attempt.

"Hey, bro." You wave at him.

"WHAT ARE YOU UP TO ANYWAY?" He asks in a scolding voice.

"Many things." You try to sound as chill as you can.

"LIKE WHAT?" Papyrus asks, clearly expecting a trick and you quickly came up with one.

"Well, you know me, I'm great at multitasking." You say with a wide, fake smile plastered on your face. "I can waste time, be unproductive and procrastinate all at once."

You wink and you hear Sans chortle, 'spot on, buddy. i would totally say that.'

Papyrus let out a strangled scream. "SAAANS! IT'S NOT FUNNY."

"Aww, it didn't tickle your _funny bone_?" You wink again. Maybe if you make him angry with puns he would go away. You really need some alone time to think.

"SANS, THAT IS ENOUGH!" Apparently he's having none of that. Now he stares at you angrily, even though you think that you catch a glimpse of smile on his face. "TODAY I'M MAKING YOU PATROL THE AREA! AND I'M NOT TAKING NO AS AN ANSWER!"

You don't even have time to react as you find yourself being held in the skeletal arms. He lifts you up, turns around and proceeds down the road.

'ahahah! oh... your reaction is priceless. so confused.' Sans is dying from laughter in the back of your head and you just dangle in Papyrus' arms, shocked out of your wits.

Papyrus marches quickly and steadily, thinking about something. He carries you as easily and carefully as if you are a big stuffed teddy bear. Good thing he can't see your face right now, because your jaw is open SO wide. You definitely didn't expect something like this to happen.

'Is this normal!?' You ask Sans while you have a chance. 'Does he always just carry you around like this?'

'nah. you're lucky. i guess he's just in a mood for cuddles.' He sighs, looking a little bit embarrassed. 'i love when he does this. it's so relaxing.'

'It does not look like cuddling...' You grumble, but you have to admit, it **is** relaxing and also super adorable.

'prolly not, but he says that he's too cool for hugs.' Sans chuckles in response.

'Seriously!? But hugs are so cool!' You can't believe that Papyrus would have said that.

'guess undyne has rubbed him the wrong way. the way _away_ from hugs.' Sans says, shrugging.

'Oh. That does make sense...' If Undyne says that hugs are not cool then Papyrus would totally pick that up from her.

Eventually Papyrus puts you back down and forces you to patrol with him. He brags about how cool he is and assures you that you can be at least half as cool if you just try. Of course he's referring to his brother, but you still feel inspired.

Up until the evening you forget about your troubles and just chill with Papyrus, walking up and down the snowy roads, chatting about nothing in particular. It's not really relaxing, as you constantly have to remember to smile and act like Sans, but it's still fun and actually pretty cool to hang out with two of the skeleton brothers.

The forest is getting darker and so are your thoughts. You're completely exhausted physically and morally, and it's getting harder and harder to keep smiling when Papyrus calls it a day and strides off towards home. Finally able to relax your face you slowly make your way to the brothers' house too.

Back at Sans' room you go straight to bed, kick the ball of sheets away and instantly flop on the mattress.

"Ughhh..." You let out a strangled groan. There is no energy or motivation left in you.

For some time you just lie there, gazing up at the ceiling. No useful thoughts comes to mind.

'Do you have any ideas, Sans?' you ask, grabbing for him as for your last straw. 'What should we do now?'

'uh...' He ponders something for a bit, but then, suddenly, he looks at you with mixed emotions coming from him. 'wait.'

'what...' His eyes sockets go wide and then he bursts out laughing, and you swear there are hysterical notes in the way he laughs.

Now you feel very uneasy.

'oh buddy, pal, chum...' The giggling skeleton says after few uncomfortable moments of struggling to suppress a new wave of laughter. 'you're actually asking me for my opinion? wow. oh wow.'

You stare blankly into space for a good two minutes and then an awful, horrible, disgusting realization finally hits you.

The realization, that you have never, not even once up until now, asked Sans for his opinion. You never actually asked what he thoughts, what he wants, what he thinks is right to do... You just assumed that you knew what is best based on the game and rushed in head first to do everything your way. And as a result? You just got you both killed.

Curling into a ball, you let out a quiet, desperate howl. You feel like garbage. Like a steamy pile of utter garbage.

"God damn it!" You cry out, guilt piercing painfully through your whole body. 'Sans I am so, SO sorry... I acted like a total jerk! I...'

'no. no-no-no.' He shake his head still chuckling. 'don't get me wrong. i honestly didn't expect you to... uh. i just didn't even think about...'

'about asking for you to stop or to do anything else, i mean.' His voice falters, falling to a barely audible whisper. 'even though you're always so willing to help. I just...'

Sans falls silent.

You finish his sentence for him after a pause, your inner voice shaking as you're about to cry. 'You just gave up...'

'uh...' He looks away.

You thought he wouldn't respond to that, but then you hear a small voice and you swear it's shaking just like yours. 'yeah... i guess i did.'

There is a storm of emotions raging inside of you. You struggle with yourself for a while, shifting on the mattress like you're fighting with invisible demons.

The shame you feel for not listening, for not caring enough, for giving Sans a little bit of hope by showing him the surface, just to tear it apart in a few hours by going back to square one is gnawing you from inside out.

Eventually you calm down enough to say something important. 'I've made a terrible mistake. A lot of mistakes, actually... But, from now on, I will always ask you before I... WE... do anything.'

'I promise... I... ' Your breath goes funny for a moment, as you fight back the tears. 'I just hope that you can forgive me.'

'hey.' Sans responds quietly. 'i'm not mad or anythin'. it's great that you actually want to cooperate, but hate to disappoint ya... your plans are as good as mine. i have no idea what to do or...'

'uhh...' He sighs, sliding his hand over his face. 'i guess what i'm tryin' to say is that i have no bones to pick with you.'

'so no worries there, pal'. He give you a half-hearted wink. 'i am glad that you care about this ol' bag o' bones' opinion.'

Though you're filled with guilt and embarrassment from how stupid and oblivious you acted, you still manage to smile, as combined feelings of relief and hearing Sans' puns lifted your spirit up.

He is way too nice with you, this funny and sad little skeleton.

'so, as i was trying to ask earlier...' He says suddenly. There is something strange both in his voice and in the emotions that are coming from him. 'if you died and then ended up here again, that means you have the power to control time?'

'WE have.' You think firmly. 'And yes. I guess we do... But it's strange..?'

'It doesn't seem to be like in the game...' You shake your head. 'I'm not sure how it works.'

'so it's true then...' Sans mumbles. 'everything you said is true...'

'Of course it is. I wouldn't lie to you!'' You understand him though. You would probably refuse to accept it too, if you were him.

Oh, the irony.

The image of Sans is sitting on the mattress near you, staring down. He looks even more real than before and you aren't sure why. Maybe you just trained your imagination over time. ''it's just... hard to believe that our prince came back from the dead and now running amok, terrorizing everyone down here.'

'son of tori and fluffybuns is the anomaly… heh...' Sans chuckles humorlessly. 'even sayin' that is weird to me'

'we all got used to blaming humans for our troubles too much.' He looks at you and you sense something apologetic coming from him. 'sorry, that i thought that you were the enemy at first. dunno if you're special or if humans aren't that bad after all...'

'It's okay Sans. It's quite understandable.' You give him a little smile. 'And as for humans... We are very different... bad, good and everything in the middle. Aren't monsters different from each other too?'

'yeah, that's true, but you know our souls, right? being kind is in our nature. s'hard for us to cause serious harm to anyone.' Looks like Sans is feeling talkative tonight. 'monsters can be distant, grumpy, angry, yeah, but we are not evil.'

'it's one of the main reasons why we lost the war. we're not THAT much weaker than humans, y'know.' He shrugs. 'It's just that there aren't many of us and we get weaker when we need to fight. we don't like fighting. we never want to fight.'

'even undyne, with all her bravado, would rather go for a friendly spar then on a killing spree.' Sans finishes his speech and falls silent.

'I... never thought about that.' Your soul squeezes in your chest. All of these scary stories about monsters are so unfair to them.

'yeah... so it's hard to comprehend that our own prince...' He shudders. 'ugh. i don't even wanna think 'bout that.'

'but i can't deny it now.' Sans let out a heavy sigh. 'and even before, i felt it was true... i just didn't want it to be true.'

'fear of flowers...' A frown crosses his still smiling face, making him look creepy.

'i noticed that all of the underground is suspicious of flowers... including me. that's so bizarre, right? nothin' to be afraid of.' Sans' eye sockets go dark and it sends shiver down your spine. That expression gets you every goddamn time. 'except there is.'

He takes a deep breath, relaxing and clicking his little eye lights back on while mumbling. 'time traveler, right...'

'guess that means you know my secret code word too, huh?' he asks curiously.

'Well, I AM the legendary fart master after all.' You think loudly, failing to keep a straight face.

'pffft... nice to meet you. such a celebrity and i'm not even dressed properly.' That little comic just can't hold himself from making fun of you.

'Stop that!' You feel embarrassed, but still, you giggle anyway.

'ok. ok. the code is correct. not like i needed it, but hearing it from you is priceless.' You roll your eyes at that.

'let's go down to my lab, okay?' He asks you, but the mattress, as worn out as it is, is just too comfortable to leave.

"N-a-ha-ha-ow?" There is maybe too much whine in your tone, because you really don't want to go anywhere.

'hey, i know the feeling, buddo, but i really need to look at something.' You nod and gather your will to stand up. Sans had to put up with your nonsense all this time, so you just have to make it up to him, starting now. That thought brings some of your determination back.

It's completely dark outside. Good thing you don't need much light to orient yourself. You fish a silver key out your pocket and unlock the small, hidden door behind the house.

Sans' underground laboratory is just like you imagined it. Mysterious, abandoned... dusty. You find the switch and click the lights on just to be able to see better.

'What exactly do you want to look at?' You ask, looking around. Something big, hidden under a white curtain draws your attention. 'Is that-?'

'nah, not that...' Sans shakes his head. 'open the first drawer. the one to your left.'

You move your curious gaze to the new target. After all, everything is interesting to you here.

The drawer opens with an unsettling screech and you take out the stuff inside of it. There are papers full of illegible handwriting and spots, a few photos and one weird drawing. Taking a a quick glance at the drawing, you think you already know what it is. A three badly drawn, smiling people and the phrase "Don't forget".

That familiar headache strikes you again. Through the waves of pain you hear Sans mumbling something about Gaster.

'Got something?' The pain is unbearable, but so is your curiosity.

'nnnh,' Sans groans. 'no... still nothing...'

'What about these guys?' You ask, pointing at the photo. 'Do you remember them?'

You recognize the people on it. It's the Gaster followers, but not gray and lifeless... they are happy. And so is Sans, standing there with them. Like, genuinely happy. Looking at this picture you realize just how unnatural his smile looks most of the time. Even if you feel him through your combined souls he is still so closed off, so fake... It's depressing, yet you hope that you can help him somehow.

'i think… i think i'm starting to remember somethin', but it's all too vague.' The image of Sans shakes his head and rubs his face.

'You know what? Let's find them! And Gaster too! Let's find them all!' Even you are shocked by your optimism. 'How about that?'

'wha... i thought that... ' And Sans is utterly flabbergasted by it. 'how...?'

'Dunno.' You shrug. The headache starts to lessen up. 'But it won't hurt to try.'

'uhh... i guess you're right...?' Sans is still confused, but it looks like your optimism is contagious. 'yeah, let's try and do that. but first... let me look at the other papers too.'

You sit down on the floor and keep shuffling through the pages. After a dozen of minutes you just can't bear staring at them anymore. You are so very tired. Your eyelids begin to close against your will and, very soon, you fall asleep.

Sans doesn't wake you up, letting you sleep peacefully.


	7. Another one

'I have to stop falling asleep in the most uncomfortable places.' This is your first thought as you find yourself lying on the laboratory floor amidst scattered pieces of paper.

'g'mornin'.' You're surprised to hear that Sans is up already. 'i was just 'bout to try and wake ya up.'

'Huh. Since when you are an early bird?' you ask him while standing up and stretching your aching bones.

'since afternoon became early,' he chuckles.

'What?' But then you get it. 'You mean I slept for that long? Wait... But how do you know? There are no clocks or windows in here!'

'i just, uh, know... these things,' he says evasively. Maybe, someday, you'll figure out the living mystery that is Sans. 'how 'bout you... uh... we go and grab something at grillby's?'

A warm feeling settles in your soul. He's playing along with yesterday's conversation. Now you and Sans are a team. Just barely formed, but a team nonetheless.

'Sure,' you nod. 'Sounds great.'

After cleaning up the papery mess on the floor, you put everything back on its rightful place and push the door open, walking outside.

You take in a breath of cold and a somewhat stuffy underground air and stroll to the welcoming yellow-lighted windows of Grillby's.

'Alr...' You begin to talk, but freeze in place on the first word.

Something's wrong.

It seems bright and cheerful as usual. Cozy houses, colorful presents underneath the local Gyftmas tree, sparkling white snow.

And a silent, empty street.

Fear crawls into your mind like a little sticky spider. It can't be a coincidence, you don't believe in this kind of coincidence, but your hope is something that refuses to die so easily.

You run to Grillby's like you're running for your life. The door flies wide open and makes a loud _bang,_ hitting the wall. Everyone would think you're crazy for making so much noise... Except there is no one there to scold you. No dogs, no birds, even Grillby is not here.

'Sans...' Your inner voice strained. 'Please tell me that Grillby just went to the bathroom...'

There is no reply from Sans. You can barely even see him, as the vision of him is shrouded by darkness.

An uncontrollable, violent shiver consumes every inch of your body.

"No-no-no..." You mutter in a shaking voice. "Anything but this... Anyt..."

You freeze once again as something dreadful pierces your mind. 'Papyrus...'

"Nonononono!" All you can do is mumble desperately while running to the cursed foggy area where the taller of the skeleton brothers always waits for the player in the game. "Please be somewhere else... please don't be dead... please... please... "

"Oh... no..." The fog clears out and your legs feel weak, forcing you to fall onto your knees.

There is no one here and nothing, but a pile of a wet grey ashes scattered on the snow.

"No-no-no..." You keep repeating over and over, hitting the snow with your fist. Two wet lines cross your face. "No... NO... why..."

Somehow you can't believe it and yet, at the same time, you can't deny that it's all that is left of your friend. From this goofy, kind skeleton that you saw alive and safe only yesterday. Only yesterday you heard him laughing.

Sans is just... silent. You can't even make out what he's feeling right now as your own emotions overbear everything. All of this is just too much for you.

Right now, right here, you can feel it. That you could rewind this world through your determination. Undo the disasters that had occurred, just by sheer force of will. You feel it like you can feel the pain of seeing this pile of dust, instead of a cheerful, adorable, brave monster...

Yet, you can't. Not because you don't want to, but because something or someone is blocking your ability to do it. You grit your teeth in frustration.

It can't be Flowey, his artificial determination is way too weak to overcome your human soul, especially since you have a red one, a natural source of determination. That can only mean one thing...

Another human.

"It started..." Your voice is trembling from grief and anger, both struggling to take full control over your mind. "Another human fell in and they... they are genocidal..."

"I hoped, oh, I hoped that there would be only me!" You clench your fists like it can hold back your tears. "But the universe is a hates me, apparently."

'you're tellin' me, buddy... you're tellin' me..." He finally responds, and your soul starts to hurt even more, although you had thought it impossible.

You thought that Sans' voice was scary when you first talked in his room or when you first mentioned about Gaster, but no. This voice. This lifeless, dull, empty voice is what makes you really, truly scared. Scared for him.

'Sans...' you start carefully, switching back to thinking instead of talking.

'no need to worry 'bout me.' His image appears to you. He is still smiling. It sends an agonizing shiver through your whole body. Knowing full well that he is able not to smile, but keeps doing it even now... it's creeping you out to the scale of eleven. 'i feel nothin'. like i saw this countless times. and all of my emotions... they're left back there. nothin' _rattles_ me, buddy.'

With his every word you feel like your soul is splitting apart more and more. It's just isn't right. It's just so... wrong.

'so. you know what i would do now, right?' he asks you and you nod in response.

'well... heh... mind if we go and do just that?' Sans' eye sockets turn dark and you feel that he lied about not feeling anything. Because there is a wave of emotions bursting out of him right now.

Anger. Pure, rightful wrath is flowing out of him, like these little white lights were a lock on the flood gates that opened once they were gone.

'uh... sorry...' He turns his head away. Looks like he felt that something slipped out of him. 'i'm usually better at this...'

'Who am I to blame you, Sans? I'm angry too...' You can't deny that you feel just a little tiny bit of relief from Sans' outburst. Anger is something that doesn't let you give up and you really need his help right now.

You stand up and wipe your face with a jacket sleeve. Unsurprisingly, it's wet from your tears.

'Sans.' you think, drawing his attention. 'Looks like it's time for a quick session of magic training.'

'uh...' He sighs, shifting uncomfortably.

'I know that you don't trust me and don't want for me to have more power that I already have, but we have no choice here!' You try to sound as earnest as possible. 'There is another human and in order to stop them I need your help!'

'no, i understand that.' He shakes his head. 'i've just... never taught anyone how to use magic, so... uh, well, i'll try my best.'

'and... uh... let's get going... a-alright?' His voice starts to quiver under the emotions breaching from behind his mask and you realized that is the worst possible spot to have a chat right now.

Trying to look forward only, you make your way from the snowy area as quickly as possible. 'I just hope we still have time...'

'the dust is still warm. that human can't be too far away.' You shudder at this phrase and the tone in which it was said. Sans' voice is emotionless back again.

You move fast and furious. You need to catch up and stop this madness. Rooms that you remember from the previous timeline, the day that never really happened to anyone buth the two of you, now empty and silent. Even the echo flowers had stopped their whispering.

Everything is so grim. Solved puzzles, quiet flowers and occasional piles of dust that make you feel sick. You try to not look at them at all.

'HOW could we miss all this!?' you cry out, frustrated and desperate. 'Why didn't anyone call to tell you about the evacuation!?'

'soundproof door and walls in the lab,' he says in return. 'and have you seen my phone?'

'Uh... no...?'

'it's 'cause i don't have one,' he says quietly.

'Oh...'

There is no time to mope. Even if you let this happen, even if everything is terrible right now, you will fix this and bring everyone back.

'ok. listen.' Sans clears his nonexistent throat. 'we're short on time, so i'll try to explain how to use most simple and most useful of my tricks.'

'And that would be..?' you ask him, stretching out the words.

'regular bones and teleportation,' he answers sharply.

'Just that? I am not sure that will be enough...' You say with doubt in your inner voice. Knowing that even with full power Sans is still vulnerable in the game doesn't help either.

'there're too many of 'em anyway. blasters and blue attack are my second best bet, but... ' He hesitates, like something is stopping him from talking. 'pulling stuff out of the pocket void is tricky to explain and gravity switching... uh... well, soul-recoloring magic can take years to master.

You sigh. "Alright, you have a point."

Suddenly, you hear footsteps. Someone is running towards you really fast. You tensed as a small figure grew close, but you are not prepared. It bumps into you, almost making you fall back.

"Saaans... _hic..._ " Thank god it's just Monster Kid.

"Un-un-undyne... _sniff_..." The small, yellow dinosaur is crying profusely, body jerking with every loud sob. You can't hold yourself back from hugging him.

"Shhh. Shh, kid," you coo, patting his back. "Everything will be alright. Undyne will fix everything and I'll help her with that."

Releasing him from your arms you point in the direction you came from. "Now run! Get as far away from here as you can."

Kid sniffs again, glances at you one last time and sprints towards the Snowdin. 'Poor child...'

You about to move forward when you're stopped by Sans.

'ok, buddy. stop,' he sighs. 'let's train here and hope that undyne will win us some time.'

'B-but we can't just use her as a decoy!' You're outraged by his cold words. 'I have to help!'

'woah, woah. calm down there warrior.' He chuckles humorlessly. 'you're going to waste all this time runnin' and then what? try to bite that human in the leg? heh...'

He sighs again. 'i hate this idea too, y'know? but we have to think clear...'

You grit your teeth in a fit of desperate anger, but you have to agree. You're not much of a help right now.

"Fine…" you blurt out, "Let's do this."

'ok. so... bones.' He ponders for a bit, while you bounce on one place, trying to occupy yourself. Running was so much easier than standing and doing nothing. 'remember how ya showed me your soul?'

You nod sharply. How can you forget something like that?

'it's somehow similar, but... different...' He says thoughtfully. 'try to concentrate on your soul. try to feel the flow of magic from your soul to every inch of your body. then let it flow to your head. and from your head to your mind.'

Sans' deep, soft voice lulls you into some sort of a trance. Slowly and carefully you try to follow his instructions.

'let your imagination create the thing that you want to summon. like bone.' He continue. 'imagine it as best as you can. every tiny detail. length, color, structure. and then, in one burst, pour your magic into this image and release it. make it REAL.'

You gasp as your body reflexively throws one arm into the air and a single white bone pops out of the ground right before you.

"Wow! This is so cool!" You stare in awe at your first real attempt at magic. You poke the bone and it clanks against your boney finger. It looks exactly like you imagined it in your head. 'Sans, you have a knack for teaching magic!'

'uhhh... i don't think so...?' He seems bothered by something. 'you've done it so easily... too easily.'

'but... oh well.' He shrugs. 'guess you're a natural. congrats, buddy.'

Now that you know what you're doing, you start to experiment. You create tall bones and small bones, bones on the floor and on the ceiling, then you summon a wall of bones and make it slide forward. You feel giddy. It's amazing for you to be able to use magic, and do it so effortlessly.

'hey. take it easy.' Sans calls out to you. 'save some magic for... y'know.'

'Oh...' You hang your head. This is really not the time for having fun.

'now, about teleportation.' He returns to instructing you. 'that includes blinks and shortcuts. these are slightly different things.'

Your curiosity perks up. After all, being able to teleport is everybody's dream. 'shortcuts... well... uh...'

'how can i say this...' Sans mumbles quietly for a few moments.

'i don't think you'll understand if i'll explain it like i know it, but let's see if i can think of something...' He rubs his face, thinking. 'imagine that you're somewhere and there is a wall on your path. and there is no other way around. so, naturally, you'll try to break the wall, right? but what if there is another way? you can just go past it. like... yeah! like going through the shortcut that is set on a different plain of existence. you have to imagine that you breach this wall without actually touching it and...'

You sit with your mouth open. Sans sounds so different right now. Like a teacher or a scientist of some sort.

'uhh...' He catches you staring at him or, more likely, you're surprised emotions towards him. 'well. i hope it makes some sense.'

'Yes, actually.' You nod. You might not really get Sans' explanation, but your mind returns to your experience after you died. 'Is it... like turning the page to see what you've already read?'

Now it's Sans' turn stare at you in shock. 'that's... actually sums it up just right.'

'And let me guess...' you say, shaking with excitement. 'Blinks are like skipping few lines while reading?'

'wow.' That's all what Sans says to you and it looks like you guessed correctly.

'Time to action!' you think emphatically.

You concentrate, gathering your determination and magic. You can't rewind the world right now, but you can do something else. After some time struggling you succeed, pulling your mind back to the void filled with letters and lines, past and future, blackness and whiteness.

There is world in front of you, but also around you. A world that is living on paper. There are pages for everything and for everyone. Even for you, although your page is almost empty and everything it says you know already. You sigh with disappointment and go back to your mission.

Every area, every room is a page that you can go back to, as long as you know exactly what is written on it or, in other words, if you've been there already. You find the closest place you've actually been to, to where Undyne usually goes to battle, and it happens to be Sans' hot dog stand. With a heavy mental push you go for it.

You feel the hot air of Hotland replace the moist air of Waterfall around your body and you open your eyes to look around. You've made it! You successfully teleported to Sans' stand, but you have no time to celebrate your achievement. You must go to Undyne's aid. The two of you will surely be able to deal with the threat together, you think as you sprint back towards Waterfall.

All of your hopes are crushed quickly. You don't even get out of Hotland before you discover a melted grey puddle. It can only be what is left of Undyne. You feel pain and anger pressing your soul again.

'That murderer either knows what they're dealing with or got very lucky to lure her here, where she is the most vulnerable,' you think, gritting your teeth.

You concentrate again and pray that you are not too late.

The last corridor. Bright yellow light, chirping of birds, smell of flowers. And a small figure in the other end of the hallway.

Brown hair on a bowed head, blue sweater with two purple lines, shorts and boots that are almost grey from dust and a brightly glowing red knife in hand.

You gulp down your nonexistent throat. You know this child and you know this knife all too well.

An urge overwhelms you. An urge to run away, to hide, to... But you refuse to let your emotions take control, because you have a mission. You have to keep your promise.

'have at it, buddy. i'm rootin' for ya.' You aren't sure if Sans is serious or what, but his words give you so much strength that you feel like you can singlehandedly save the world.

And you're about to give a try on doing just that.


	8. The color red

"So... You're killing everybody, huh? Having fun times..." There you are, taking a role of the judge.

"I hate to inform you... but you've made a BIG mistake." The role of Sans.

"Yet... following a tradition, I'll ask you one question." With Sans himself backing you up in your head.

"Do you think that that everybody deserves a chance?" Life have never been so strange before, you're sure about that.

"Because someone... he is s-still believes in you, you know?" Your voice falters under a fresh wave of grief. "You still have time to stop..."

The silence is growing more and more tense.

A sudden, loud chirp outside of the window drills into your nerves.

The child raises their head. Two red eyes are now staring at you, making you feel uneasy. Even more so than before.

"No," they say, taking a step towards you.

"I don't think so." Another step.

"No one deserves a chance." And another one.

You let out a nervous chuckle. "Alright then..."

"But just one more step and you will regret it." For a few moments, the world turns black and white. You aren't sure, but it seems like you managed to click off your little eye lights. You don't know how you manage to do that.

They didn't even stop to listen.

They run forward, clenching the knife in both hands, two oceans of pure hatred fixed on you. The crimson-eyed demon makes a wide, wild motion, slicing the air. Their blow is so powerful that it leaves a red line lingering for a split second before it vanishes, making a painfully familiar sound - the FIGHT sound from the game.

Sweat is dotting your skull. They're set on killing you, no joke. Good thing you blinked away right before the hit reached you.

Now the murderous child is standing and staring at the empty space you were just standing in, while you stare at their back in return, unsure of what to do next.

'hey. what's the hold up?' Sans' voice pulls you out of your stupor. 'go ahead and attack.'

Just like you practiced, you imagine a wall of bones and send it forward with a sharp hand gesture. They appear as you intended them to, sliding towards the set target, except they move so painfully slow. The child hears them creeping closer and jumps away, now running to you again.

More bones drill through the floor, ruining the tiles with ugly scratches as they slide through them. Your attacks move faster now, yet still too slow to pose an actual threat.

'you don't actually...? oh... we're in trouble, right?' Sans sighs. 'i feel ya, buddy...'

He's right, you are in trouble. Because you just don't have the guts to kill that kid.

No matter how sad and angry you were before, no matter what awful things they've done, no matter that they are trying to stab you right now.

You just can't kill anybody.

Hell, you're pretty sure you have never killed anything larger than a fly! And seeing the alive, small child in front of you... You just can't muster any intent to hurt them.

"Why are you doing this, kid? Why not just chill and be friends instead? Why so mad?" You teleport to the other end of the corridor and try to talk, even if you're pretty sure it's pointless.

"Because reasons!" Now that was something you weren't expecting. They actually replied you.

"Come on, you're acting like a child. Throw me a _bone_ here." You're spending too much time with Sans, making puns even in a situation like this.

"FINE! I'll tell!" They shout at you, not stopping their assault.

"Humans, monsters, even my... my..." Their voice trembles, but not their hand, slicing the air where you stood just a moment ago.

"Everyone BETRAYED me! And now I'll KILL everyone! I will kill everyone who stands in my way... So back off!" It's like they could feel you behind them, turning around with the knife stretched out and you barely make your escape in time.

You're shivering from the stress and adrenalin. ...do monsters even have adrenalin? "How are you planning to kill all of the humanity alone anyway? You're just a child! Get real!"

"I. DON'T. CARE." Thier furious scream seems to shake the castle and you briefly wonder where the heck is Asgore. He wasn't in his throne room, you had time to check that, but you didn't have time to search for him anywhere else.

"I will get through the barrier and kill everyone or I'll die trying!" Rage fills every word of this vengeful child.

Their attacks become even more violent. This mad kid keeps running to you, keeps dodging, keeps slicing. Your attacks start to be more competent, but so does their dodging. Still, one of your bones manages to scratch their shoulder. It tears the sweater and the skin under it, soaking the fabric in blood and you feel bad...

But at the same time you feel good. You feel like you have achieved something, like you've made some progress.

The hum of magic flowing through your body... It's only now that you notice that it sings a familiar tune. The epic in-game music that plays during the battle with Sans.

Now you feel it all. The thrill of the fight, the song of power, the dance with death in the form of a mad child... and you like it.

'what's going on?' You hear a quiet voice somewhere very distant, but it's not important.

'buddy?' There is only you and your goal.

'hey.' To kill. To destroy. To get your revenge.

'okay, that's enough. it's getting too crowded in 'ere.' The sudden burst of pain snaps you out of the daze just in time to blink away a moment before the knife blade hits your neck.

'Da hell was that!?' You tap your head trying to get rid of leftover melody still echoing through your mind.

'dunno for sure...' Sans shrugs. 'but it looked like that stabby widdle over there tried to hypnotize ya.'

'And you saved me...' You can't believe that you lost control like that. 'Thank god!'

'i'm not THAT great.' He chuckles. 'you can thank me later. you're in the middle of somethin', remember?'

'Oh crap,' you think as the child closing in on you, turning even more furious over their failed attempt.

Another wave of attacks from both sides. You've gotten so good at it that you don't even have to move your hands to cast your magic, but you do it anyway, to aim your attacks better.

One of the bones clipped kid's leg. They wince and so do you, like it hurt you even more than them.

'Ugh! I'm such a pansy...' You curse yourself mentally.

Sans gives you a funny look and then shakes his head. 'sure hope you know what you're doing, pal...'

You would like to believe in that either. Your mind races to came up with something, anything that would stop this madness. Concentrating on battle while thinking on what to do next turns out to be pretty freaking tough.

They got too close this time.

The flash of red flies before your eyes, aiming at you the second after you teleport and you aren't ready to blink again. Metal clanks against bone, bursting it into countless little bone chips.

The knife point is lingering right in front of your face, blade stuck in the bones as you managed to trap it at the very last moment. Unable to attack they stop and just... stare at you.

"Humanity does not deserve a chance... Instead it deserves someone like them. A barbarian, a maniac, a demon..." A creepy, unnatural smile crosses the face of your opponent, making you flinch away, losing your concentration. "A demon that will cleanse this world of filth with its determination and steel!"

They are free now and begin to raise their knife to strike again, when you blurt out. "Except it's... huff... not your... huff... determination."

"Huh?" They hesitate for a second.

You can barely speak through your heavy breathing, but you have to try and check the idea that visited your mind just now. "I know... who you are... Chara Dreemurr."

They freeze, staring at you, eyes wide... creepily.

Them standing shocked it's just perfect. You are very tired, sweaty and in a dire need of a breather.

"You are... huff... very angry... aren't you?" you say, looking intently at them, monitoring their movements and reaction. "You think that your brother... betrayed you... by not attacking the humans. And now you have possessed... the body of another child just to get your revenge."

"We were supposed to FREE everybody!" They burst, a tinge of despair in their scolding voice. "And then monsters would've defeat humans and lived happily on the surface! But he betrayed me!"

"No he didn't! He was just a kid... A crybaby... Monsters are all kind by their nature! " You plead for Asriel and for monsters alike. "They wouldn't even want to fight with humans! Just like HIM! They would lose even before the war started!"

"And isn't this why you prefer monsters over humans?" you ask, a spark of hope raising in you. Hope that you can somehow change their mind. "Them being kind? Them helping you?"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ME! WHO EVEN ARE YOU!? HOW DO KNOW ALL THIS!?" they yell at you, angry and confused.

"I don't. I just... made a wild guess. And looks like I hit the jackpot." You shrug in a Sans' manner.

'huh? i can't believe i'm famous enough for parody.' Sans raised his brow bone at you and you feel kind of cheap for knocking off his words. At least you had hold yourself back before. Saying something about a bad time and burning in hell was really tempting to be perfectly honest.

"No... NO! No one deserves another chance!" they hiss as their face turns into a horrible grimace. Melting eyes and a mouth that resembles a vague, terrifying smile. Truly nightmare fuel. How they even do that? "I'll destroy this pointless world!"

The fight goes on and on. Fifteen minutes pass since it began... Twenty... Thirty... Somehow, Sans manages to count every second of it.

The floor, the walls, the pillars, the child, everything is covered with scratches. It's a miracle you aren't hurt yet. There's not way you can take a single hit of that strange weapon and stay alive.

Lost and desperate, you're on the edge. You don't want to kill this crazy kid, but you don't know how to stop them either. They just don't care, they just don't listen, and they sure don't want to give up.

You try to block them, trapping them in a pile of bones, but somehow they just cut through, like they're dealing with cheese. You try to knock their knife away, but they clench onto it like a lifeline. You try to summon bones right underneath them, but they jump away with ease. You try to tire them out, but they're still filled with energy and it's you who can barely stand right now.

Being in Sans' body gives you so much. Ranged magical attacks, teleportation, but it's also untrained and weak. Both he and you are not warriors after all. Even your combined souls can't compensate for that. You've already fought five times longer than Sans manages to hold on in the game, but now you're exhausted.

Soon, the moment comes, when you raise your hand and... nothing happens. You're trembling from feeling both weak and helpless, knowing that you can't teleport anymore. You can't even move.

'come on, stay _sharp_ , pal. they have _knifing_ on you,' Sans is trying to motivate you somehow, feeling that you've reached your limit, but all you can do is stand and watch Chara getting closer, making one final, wide swipe.

The sickly-red knife blade strikes you square in the chest... ripping through your clothes... crushing your ribcage... slicing up your very soul.

It's painful. It's so painful that your mind can't comprehend how badly hurt you are and that somehow keeps you standing.

"I won... " Chara says in a quivering voice.

And then they start to laugh. They laugh as tears run down from their eyes. There are so many tears, like they're crying for two or even three children at once. Thier laughter is hysterical, like they don't know what else to do, aside from laughing and crying.

'welp... at least... we tried..." Sans is in pain. He's dying too. You can feel it, you can see it. Yet he's still smiling and he's still trying to cheer you up.

You can't fail now. If they get past you, all of your monster friends will stay dead and Chara will kill many, many more people. They will doom this world or they'll just die there and no one will be happy about it.

'Looks like I have no choice...' You hang your head. The pain is unbearable. The pain of what you're about to do next.

Despite everything. Being defeated, being exhausted, being on the verge of death, despite feeling guilty... your determination skyrockets. Never in your life were you so full of it. It flows from your sliced soul, red and gooey like ketchup or like jam from a broken jar, covering floor beneath you with crimson glow.

"No..." You whisper, barely audible, and they just don't hear you behind a wall of insane laughter. "No you didn't..."

You begin to dissolve into dust and at the same time you start to melt. Wet, grey ashes slide down your body and face. You have no magic left in your body, you are dying, but you still have your deadliest weapon. Your determination.

"Cause we tied..." Your soul glows brighter and brighter. Trembling, shaking, beating, it sends out red waves of liquid with every little pulse of your being.

'what are you...' Sans wheezes out, eye sockets wide.

'I'm making anime real, ' you think, deadpan serious.

In the next second the red puddle beneath you begin to boil, sizzling with immense amounts of magic. You're literally putting your soul into your last attack.

Huge, shining, red bones shoot up from the liquid that you and your killer are standing in. They pierce you and the crazy, laughing child, impaling both of you, tearing you both apart. Their laughter ends abruptly with a choked noise.

As your mind slips away, the very last thing you see before your eyes is a lifeless little body basked in a many different shades of red.


	9. Consequences

Emptiness.

There is nothing to see, to hear, to feel.

It's comforting somehow.

Tempting even, to just stop to exist.

To let the world go on without you, to dissolve into the abyss, to become one with the universe.

...

Yet, something just won't let you rest in peace. Someone out there can't let you calm down and stay here forever. Someone needs you.

'Sans' One single thought and with this one comes the others. 'Papyrus', 'Toriel', 'Asgore', 'Undyne', 'Alphys' and so on and so on... All these names are pulling you away from the nothingness.

You have to bring them to life, you have to become their real friend, you have to come back.

A bright flash of red light fills the void.

Letters and lines fly around you in a black and white mess. Their random dance creates weird swirls and patterns. Some of the patterns remind you of a strange face or a mask but just for a second and then it disappears.

You sense yourself as a soul, but something is wrong. You feel weak and you're getting weaker with every second.

There is no time to waste. You aren't sure why you are losing your strength, but you have to get out of here before it's too late.

Concentrating your determination you reach out to the world.

'whoa... so that's how it is, huh...?' To your surprise you hear Sans' astounded voice right before you turn back the pages to rewind the world again.

 _You are back at page one._

There is a strange feeling in your whole body. Your head spins. Soft light flickers and your vision is blurry.

Slowly coming to your senses there also comes something uninvited and soon you wish that you were still dead.

The pain. It's burning you from the inside out, coming in waves from your soul straight to your mind. You can't take it and collapse right where you're standing. Curling into a ball of agony, you clench your chest in a desperate attempt to cease your suffering.

'oh my god, pal. what've you done to yourself...' You can barely understand that Sans is here too and he is saying something.

'why did you do that... you could've destroyed your soul... ' There are so many emotions coming from him right now. It's a shame you are not in any condition to answer. 'just... ugh... just hang on, okay?'

'my b-bro...' Sans' voice falters for a moment, like he can't fully believe in what he's saying.' he is gonna be here... he's gonna be here any minute now...'

You are lying in the snow, face on the ground, gasping soundlessly. Everything hurts so freaking much. Few minutes pass as you struggle with both sharp and dull aches.

After what felt like eternity of torture, the pain starts to lessen little by little. Now you're able to make sounds again and you start to whine like a sad, lost puppy. Somehow, it helps.

In this mess of a condition you're discovered by Papyrus.

"SANS!" The air is pierced with a loud voice, making you flinch. That little startle returns your ability to think and now you really don't want Papyrus to see you like this. You're considering trying to teleport away from here but it's too late.

"SANS OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE GROUND?" The tall skeleton rushes towards you as you hear his footsteps getting closer. "IS THIS ONE OF YOUR PRANKS?"

"WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME?!" You hear worry build up in his voice and you would like to tell him that you're okay, but it would've been a lie and you can't speak with your face pressed to the snow anyway.

The world bursts with light and color, swirling around you. You thought that you were dying again, but it's just Papyrus turning you on your back.

Now you can see his face. It's crossed by a furrowing brow. You hate to see so much worry in his usually cheerful eye sockets, but at the same time you are so, SO happy. So happy to know that you've made it. He is alive again. Everyone is alive.

'paps... god... bro, i'm so glad to see you again.' Sans is muttering back in your head, there is so much relief in his voice.

Suddenly, everything hits you. The sadness, fear and stress of a previous timeline, the pain you have to suffer through and all of the relief and happiness that you're feeling right now. Every emotion in the spectrum overwhelms you and you can't hold yourself back anymore. You start to cry.

"Pa... Pap... py..." You try to say something but to no avail. You can't find your voice in the loud sobs and twists of a strong pain.

"OH GOODNESS... WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, BROTHER?!" Papyrus is lost and panicking and you can't stand it.

'S-sans...' Even your inner voice is weak and quivering but you force yourself to think straight. 'I'm going to h-hug him... I hope... you d-don't mind...'

'i... i... don't...?' Sans sounds confused. 'wait, what? buddy, stop bein' silly, you can't even move!'

'I d.. don't care!' And you really don't. You're dead set on hugging the skeleton in front of you even if it would be the last thing you'll ever do.

Gathering every remaining bits of your strength you jerk forward to sit upright.

"WAIT WHAT ARE Y..." You catch Papyrus by surprise, reaching out to him, pulling him in for a hug and squeezing him in your arms as strong as you can. His costume might be hard and cold, but you feel warm and fuzzy.

At first he doesn't know how to respond to your sudden burst of affection, but then, slowly and carefully, he hugs you back.

It smells like bones and also like something sweet.

You feel so wonderful that you stop crying. Even the pain became much more bearable. Hugging this guy has such a magical effect.

'You're the best... never change...' You manage to whisper quietly right before a backlash of weakness forces you to black out.  
The last thing you register with your weak and dizzy mind is Papyrus gently picking you up and carrying you in his arms.

Slowly, very slowly, you wake up again. Your chest still hurts, but not as much as before. You open your eyelids and stare at a familiar ceiling of the Sans' room.

'hey there.' Sans' voice greets you. 'how are ya?'

You check your condition once again and respond, 'I can feel something aside from pain so I'd say good.'

'you really scared me and my brother...' he says slowly. 'show some mercy to my poor heart and never do that again.'

'You're a skeleton, you don't have a heart,' you chuckle nervously.

'oh yeah. i am a _heartless monster_. sorry, forgot,' he snorts, but you're not feeling up for jokes.

'N-no...' Your inner voice is shaking as you suddenly feel very, very bad. Your chest bursts with pain again. 'That would be me...'

'no, wai-' Sans tries to say something but you curl into yourself, mumbling silently.

'I've done goofed so many times... I took over your body. I've made you mad and sad. I've made Papyrus worry. I screw up and failed to get more souls. I let everyone die... I let YOU die TWICE!' You are screaming silently and with every word your sobs get more and more intense. 'And in the end I... I... I killed... I killed a ch-child... because I c-c-couldn't f-find an.. another s-solution...'

'no-no-no. buddy, pal, please, don't cry.' The wave of worry coming from Sans is so strong that you can feel it even behind your pain and guilt. 's'not your fault.'

'you didn't take over my body on purpose, right?' You nod reluctantly, still sobbing. 'see? and it wasn't just a child we... uh... stopped... t'was a relentless murderer.'

'and yes, we. don't take all the credits for yourself.' He gives you a half-hearted wink. 'we're in this together, remember?'

You nod again, starting to feel a little bit better.

'he-heh...' Sans closes his eyes and chuckles humorlessly. 'y'know... every time you manage to surprise me more and more.'

'i mean... how you react to everything. how you treat me, my bro and everyone around you. how you act...' A heavy sigh escapes him and he looks at you with something new in his expression. 'i really thought you were goin' to die for good over there.'

You can't help asking, 'W-what?'

'what happened after ya took that hit...' he shakes his head. 'i can only assume that somehow you used your own magic, 'cause there was nothing left in my body, and you, uh... overextend it. it's really dangerous to overextend the magic of your soul.'

'and that knife...' Sans looks away. 'i dunno... i just... have a real bad feeling 'bout this thing.'

Sad, watery eyes stare at the illusory skeleton and he chuckles. 'still blamin' yourself over all this? you're such a funny weird human.'

'what if i tell ya...' he sighs again but this time, and it catches you by surprise, you feel a wave of warm emotions from him. 'that i'm grateful that you're 'ere?'

'B-but-'

'let me finish, a'right?' He interrupts your protests. 'i'm grateful, because you willingly share information and abilities i couldn't obtain otherwise.'

'and... huh... i can't believe i'm actually sayin' this but... together, we might just be able to do things right.' Your soul skips a beat. These are the most precious words you have ever heard from him.

'as far as i can judge, you are a good person. for one i'm glad that it's you i'm stuck with and not... some else. and also... i... uh... well... ' Sans hesitates for a bit.

'i trust you...' he says finally, nodding to himself. 'just thought i'd let you know that.'

'Oh, Sans...' You sniff and now even more tears start to stream down your face. 'It... it means so much to me. Thank you. Thank you...'

'heh.' he closes his eye sockets and shrugs. 'you're welcome.'

You're lying silently, gathering your thoughts and calming yourself down, when something draws your attention. Something that smells really good. After looking around you discover a big plate filled fries, burgers and ketchup.

'heheh.' You hear Sans laughing. 'yeah, can ya believe it? papyrus actually went to grillby's and got some food from there. you must've scared him pretty good.'

'Sorry. I didn't want to worry your brother.' You sigh, staring at food with temptation, realizing that you're starving.

'it's ok. just tell him that was "a prank gone too far". he'll get annoyed, but then forgive me. he always does.' He shrugs it off, but you're pretty sure he just doesn't want you to feel bad.

'Well... Might as well take a bite, right?' You get up and take the plate from the drawer.

'you know my answer. i'm always _down_ for good food.' The skeleton winks as his illusion appears sitting on the floor near you, startling you into giggling.

The food turns out to be really tasty. Salty and greasy it dissolves in your mouth bringing in the taste that seems familiar to food you use to have as a human, but also slightly different. Slightly _magical_.

'he-heh,' Sans chuckles. Looks like he catched your thoughts and found them amusing.

Everything quickly disappears from the plate and now you feel alive again. Even the pain is gone, which you find weird but not bad for sure.

'feelin' better?' Sans asks you after you finish eating.

'Yeah, thanks to you.' You smile apologetically to him. 'And, ah... sorry for that scene.'

'it's kinda my fault too. that joke really was... bad.' Sans rubs the back of his head.

'Bad to the bone?' You try to make a pun to cheer him up. 'But no, it was fine. Guess I... just really needed to get all this out of my system.'

'it might have one more reason...' Sans says thoughtfully.

'What do you mean?'

'can ya... uh... show me your soul again?' he asks suddenly. 'it might be nothing, but...'

'Well. Sure. Why not.' You shrug, wondering what has him so worked up.

This time releasing your soul is pretty easy for you. The familiar feeling of a little bird fluttering in your chest, followed by a weak tug and two combined souls now float in front of you. You take a glance at them and froze.

'What the...' A wave of shivers pass through every bone in your body.

Sans curses quietly in the back of your head and you're just sitting shocked and really, really scared.

Your soul... It looks like usual. Red, bright, clear, with the little white upside down heart trapped inside of it. The only thing that has changed, is the addition of a wide scar right where the knife blade hit you in the last moments of the previous timeline. The cut is so deep, it almost makes it to Sans' soul. Just mere millimeters and it would've got him too.

"B-b-but... HOW!?" you burst, panicking. 'It can't be! How can it last over a reset?!'

'huh?' Sans asks, frowning.

'Well... Ugh...' you try to gather your scattered thoughts. 'Everything seems to go back to the beginning every time I rewind the world. Memories, mistakes, wounds... everything. Just like in the game.

'Hell, the soul in the game even explodes into pieces with every game over!' you think, recalling that little detail. 'But how did this...'

'Oh man... Sans. You're right.' Realization struck you. 'I felt weak back at the void of letters and that pain... It was my soul. Still hurting, still bleeding or whatever you call it. And...'

'Oh god... If only Chara managed to slice or souls in a half... it could have been the end...The real end...' You feel weak and have to sit down again.

Staring at the two floating merged hearts you are lost in thought.

It's so easy to play the hero when you're pretty sure that you can't really die. Of course, pain is not something you would like to inflict on others or go through yourself, yet the idea of having no consequences is always enticing.

Really thinking about that you realize, that you've managed to fool yourself into acting like you're an immortal. Not planning things ahead, not taking the situation, the training or the fight seriously enough, but this scar... It's like a bucket of refreshing snow shoved into your pants.

You could have died for real. And what's worse, you could've dragged Sans with you, so he would have to share the same fate. These thoughts are filling you with dread.

'sometimes i hate being right,' Sans says, breaking the silence.

He sighs. 'all we can do now is wait.'


	10. The hardest part

You're still sitting on the mattress, staring absently at the window. Bright, cold light pours in from the outside. Sans fell asleep and you don't want to bother him. Your mind is empty and you're just enjoying the silence.

A sudden flapping of wings and bird chirping makes you shudder, reminding you of a previous timeline.

You almost failed back there... but, self-blaming aside, you actually succeeded. You and Sans saved everyone, brought everyone back to life. Everything is quiet and peaceful for now.

The question is: For how long?

You feel a tick of fear followed by a wave of determination. There is no time to relax. Chara could come back any minute now and you have to stop them, the sooner the better.

But first, you have to see Papyrus just one more time and apologize to him.

'Yes, nothing to worry about, just need to apologize, that's all...' You let out a strained chuckle.

After gathering yourself and plastering a fake smile on your borrowed face you exit the room. The noises coming from downstairs suggest that you aren't home alone this time.

Papyrus is sitting downstairs, watching TV and bouncing excitedly on the couch. You sigh, feeling both a lot of relief and nervousness from seeing him.

"GOOD MORNING, SANS!" he proclaims loudly after noticing you. "ARE YOU FEELING BETTER TODAY?"

"Good morning, bro. Yeah... Uhh... about that..." You rub the back of your skull, feeling awkward. Sans asked you to tell his brother that what happened earlier was a prank, but lying to him feels very wrong.

"I... I'm sorry, Papyrus." It's so weird to say that while trying to maintain a smile. "It was just a stupid prank. I think I took it a bit too far."

"WHAT!? SO IT... IT WAS A PRANK AFTER ALL!?" he shouts, looking at you, expression stern.

"Yeah..." You hang your head in shame.

"I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU, BROTHER..." Sadness tugs your chest. It pains you to have his disapproval, but at least he doesn't have to worry ab-

"IT WAS NOT FUNNY IN THE SLIGHTEST!" The loud and cheerful voice cuts your thoughts and you stare at Papyrus with wide eye sockets. "TRY BETTER NEXT TIME! NYEHEHEHE!

Is he for real?

"BUT! IF YOU EVER FEEL DOWN... JUST TELL ME AND I WILL PICK YOU RIGHT _UP_!" He winks at you and you feel weird. Did he catch that you're lying? You have no idea.

'that's my bro.' Looks like Sans is up and full of pride.

'Your brother is... so cool.' you think with a touch of awe, hardly believing that he would be so chill after what happened yesterday. Sans gives you a pleased look, approving your reaction.

"CARE TO SIT WITH ME AND WATCH THE SHOW?" Papyrus pats the couch near him, inviting you to join.

You glance at the TV screen where the static picture, featuring box-shaped robot, asks the viewers to stand by due to technical difficulties and shake you head.

Even though you would really love to stay just to spend some time in a company of this goofy monster, you have something a lot more urgent in mind. "Nah. Have to go to work."

"WORK? WOWIE! AM I ALLOWED TO BE PROUD?" he exclaims with something akin to confusion in his expression.

"Uh... Sure...?" You shrug, not knowing what can you say to that.

"WELL THEN. GOOD LUCK OUT THERE!" He waves you goodbye and turns back to TV.

You're at the door when another shout reaches you. "BUT DON'T CATCH ALL OF THE HUMANS YOURSELF! LEAVE SOME FOR ME! NYEH HE HEH!"

Papyrus is enjoying his humor but you're not up for it. This time you won't let Chara near him. No chance.

"Ok," you manage to blurt out before walking away. The ability to warp through space is still at your command and you use it without any hesitation.

Surrounded by the seemingly endless, cracked old wall, two pink pillar stand, supporting a plate with the Delta Rune engraved on it, all of this decorating the closed entrance to the Ruins.

Undisturbed snow tells you that no one has been here for a while and you exhale, realizing that you've been holding your breath.

At least this time you aren't late.

'Should I...?' you ask, raising your hand towards the door.

' _knock_ yourself out.' Sans winks and you can't help but give him a little smile in return.

After a moment of hesitation you knock on the door. It responds with hollow bangs, followed by silence. You wait for a while, try knocking some more, but there is no answer.

"Looks like no one's home..." you say, worry and sadness slipping into your voice. Or, actually, Sans' voice. It's still so confusing.

'she might just not hear it from the house.' Sans sighs and you aren't sure if he believes in his own words.

Again and again you knock in a desperate attempt to get to Toriel, but it leads to nothing. Anger builds up in you with every failed try. There's not much hope left in you for the safety of poor goat mom.

Now you're sitting in front of the door, listening, waiting, wishing that you could just teleport into the Ruins and interrogate Chara instantly, but you have never been there before and therefore you can't use a shortcut to get there. You tried anyway but, unsurprisingly, you failed.

Trying to kill off the slow motion of time you've decided to chat with your head neighbor.

'Hey, Sans,' you call out, trying settle more comfortably on your tired from sitting skeletal butt. 'I was thinking about something...'

'hmm?' he responds to you sleepily. 'well, spill it, bucko.'

'You said something about me using my own magic, but how can it be!? I...' You hesitate, thinking about it just a little bit more. 'I'm pretty sure that I'm not a magician or anything.'

'but ya used it back there, right?' To your surprise Sans sounds confused too. 'how did you do that then?'

'I guess it was like a... whisper of intuition...? I don't think that I ever used magic before I got to the Underground...' Uncertainty slips into your words. You don't remember much, so you can't be one hundred percent sure about anything. You just have a feeling that magic is something imaginary for humans and if you thought that it's just a fantasy, then it's no wonder you don't remember using it. 'I tried to use my determination to do something to stop Chara. First thing that came into my mind was, of course, more bones.'

'I guess I'm just not very original.' You let out a quiet chuckle.

'huh. well. i'm afraid that i'm not that familiar with human magic. apparently your mages could use it before, hence the barrier, but how exactly and what your magic is like now... i have no idea.' He shrugs. 'tori and asgore prolly know something. might be a good idea to ask them 'bout it.'

'Hm. Maybe you're right...' you think thoughtfully.

'I can't believe that I can actually use magic! This thought just can't settle in my head...' Suddenly, an idea came to your mind. 'Oh, could it be just because I'm in your body?'

'from what i could feel, t'was coming from your soul.' Sans shakes his head dismissively. 'i don't think that my body have anythin' to do with this.'

'That's so weird! I mean, determination is one thing but magic...' You make an uncertain hand gesture.

'heh.' He chuckles in response. 'in my opinion, determination is a whole lot more confusing.'

'Hah. Yeah...' you think, not sure what else to add.

Snow starts to fall. You look up at the cave ceiling and couldn't see it because of thick grey clouds covering local replacement of the sky. Big, beautiful snowflakes soar slowly and gracefully from those clouds. Some of them are landing on your face, melting and sliding down your boney cheeks. Watching their captivating dance calms you down, even if just for a little bit.

'and still...' This time it's Sans who starts to talk.

'i don't understand why you took that hit...' he says in a quiet, heavy voice.

'I mean... I had no choice...? ' Wincing, you unwillingly recall the indescribable pain you felt back then. 'I couldn't move anymore.'

'yea? except ya had a choice beforehand,' he says and you can swear you feel worry from him again. 'you had the option to flee. you could've teleported away... you didn't have to fight to your death.'

'But what would've happen if I did that...?' you ask, not hoping for an answer. 'I was afraid that if Chara got past Asgore... that the world will end, just like in the game...'

'Now, it's not a game, but... I'm still so afraid... ' you sigh. 'And, well, I really didn't expect Chara to wound my soul THAT badly. Maybe you are right and I was just a brave fool for nothing...'

You think for a bit and recall something. 'But wait… What about the reports?'

Looks like Sans didn't really get what you are talking about, as he glances questioningly back at you.

'The thing with "We have reports about a massive anomaly in the time-space continuum". Didn't I mention something about that?' you try reminding him. 'That you and, apparently, someone else, saw the anomaly coming and that it could lead to the end of everything?'

'huh... um... yeah.' A heavy sigh escapes him. 'yeah. it's true.'

'actually, when we were back at my lab, some of the notes refreshed my memory. there was something 'bout the anomaly. about timelines starting, stopping... those damn resets...' he curses bitterly and you feet so bad for him.

'except there is nothing about the ending of time.' He shrugs. 'i mean, of course, everything ends eventually. but there is nothin' 'bout it in my notes...'

'either i'm missing somethin' or... heh.' He chuckles. 'well, to be fair, i would prefer for you to be wrong.'

You huff, but couldn't help but agree, 'Me too, Sans. Me too.'

Something in the back of your mind is bothering you, but you aren't sure what. You recap everything you and Sans talked about before and then it dawns on you. Letting out choked, frustrated noise and you slap your face, eliciting a weird dull sound as bone hits the teeth.

'what's that all about?' Sans raises his brow at you.

'Teleportation!' you cry out, feeling frustration rising inside of you. 'We could have just taken Chara and... I dunno... Left them on top of the mountain or in a dungeon or whatever! Why I didn't even think about that before!? UGH!'

Sans chuckles and you glare at his mental image. 'How is this funny!?'

'sorry. sorry. it's just... uh... it's pretty much impossible.' He shakes his head.

'Huh? Really?' Your frustration stops as quickly as it started.

'yeah... don't you think i would've suggested that if it was? heh... ' He sighs.

'I... um... but why not?' you ask, confused.

'it's, uh, complicated.' Sans scratches the back of his skill, thinking. 'y'see, you can't just grab someone and shove them into a shortcut. they have to be aware of your intentions and agree to follow ya.

'it's...' he hesitates, picking the right words. 'well, let's just say that souls tend to resist such things. it may not work at all or screw up teleportation process. which can lead to all kinds of... bad... things... '

'not to mention that getting close to that little demon is pretty dangerous anyways.' He closes his eye sockets and shakes his head again.

'Hmmm... Okay,' you nod thoughtfully. 'But what about blinks?'

'now blinks are a whole 'nother story.' Sans continues his explanations. 'you could've tried to blink them somewhere in your sight, but s'really hard and very, VERY energy consuming. so yeah, i didn't bother to offer that either.'

'I see now...' It rules out a really handy non-violent solution, but at least it means that you did everything you could back there.

The rest of the day is spent waiting for something to happen. Sans dozes off as soon you stop talking to him, but you can't follow his lead. You can't afford any rest. With your head pressed to the door, you expect to hear footsteps behind it at any moment. You're ready for anything.

A sleepless night leads you to a second day of staring, checking and banging at the door, with no results at all. Your nerves start to play tricks on you and sometimes you hear... things… And it's creeping you out.

'hey, buddy.' You hear a yawn in your head and feel a swell of happiness, finally you have company again.

'Good morning, sunshine,' you greet Sans. 'Or afternoon, actually. You sure like to sleep.'

'can't ever get _tired_ of sleeping.' He winks at you and you chuckle weakly.

'did you even try to sleep?' he asks, frowning.

'Am I looking _pale_ to you?' You smile again and he can't help but chuckle in return. 'Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a bit bored... How about we talk for a bit?'

'sure.' He shrugs. 'why not.'

You spend some time chatting and exchanging silly jokes with Sans. It really feels like he is a comic after all, because he knows so many funny jokes. In other circumstances you would be really happy, but now you still feeling stressed and very tired. Though, of course, spending time with Sans makes it a lot more bearable.

'...and then, after that book fell on my head, i've only got _myshelf_ to blame.' Sans winks at you and you laugh together.

'Oh! Oh! I know one like this!' you think excitedly.

'Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda?' You start to tell a joke, suppressing laughter. 'He was lucky it was a _soft_ drink!'

You both laugh again. Making Sans laugh turned out to be pretty easy as it looks like he likes all of your jokes. You thought he would be a lot more picky, being a comedian himself, but even when he laughs at the lamest of your puns you still feel proud of yourself.

'that one was really good,' Sans says, still chuckling. 'hey i recall another good one. wanna hear it?'

'Of course!' You nod as enthusiastically as you can right now.

'what do ya call people who're afraid of santa claus?' he asks and waits for your answer.

'What?' You play along.

 _'claus_ trophobic.' He grins and you burst with laughter. That's a new one.

'wow. you really dig my jokes.' Looks like Sans is pleased by your reactions too and he can't hide it.

'Ha-hah. Yeah,' you respond, after you're done with laughing. 'But doesn't everyone?'

'nah. some people just don't understand. 'He sighs. 'for example it's hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs, 'cause they always take things _literally'_ _  
_

'Pffft! Ahahaha! You're impossible!' You howl with laughter while Sans shrugs at you, left eye closed.

'Hey, but I wonder...' you ask after calming down again. 'Do you really like all kinds of puns? You gotta dislike some sort of puns, right?'

'puns are all fine to me. good ones are cool and sometimes bad ones are even funnier, but...' He hesitates for a bit. 'i don't like one type of puns...'

'Oh? What exactly?' You lean forward, fairly intrigued as to what it could be.

'i hate insects puns... they really _bug_ me.' He winks at you and you groan.

'UGH. I can't believe that you got me! AGAIN!' But you can't pout at this little goofball for too long and soon you return to laughing.

After some time you came up with a comeback. 'So you like bad puns, huh?'

'yep,' Sans responds shortly.

'Even if they are... non _sans_ ical?' Your grin is SO wide right now.

Sans stares at you for a moment and then bursts into laughter. Hearing his deep and sincere laughter is so amusing and the occasional snorts makes it even better.

'yeah... those are the best, if y'know what i mean,' he says, wheezing in some air to try and calm down.

'He-heh... I do,' you respond, smiling softly.

The rest of the day was pretty fun, but at the end of it you are even more exhausted from all of the laughing.

Three days. You haven't slept for three days.

You really start to match Sans' habits. Always tired, constantly napping at his post, jumping awake from every little sound, forcing smiles so that people don't have to worry about you. You leave your post only for few moments to grab some food and water.

Sans offers to sleep in shifts with you and it sounds awesome, but you can't sleep even if you try. There is so much going on in your head that it feels like very air around you is filled with tension.

In this restless afternoon Papyrus decides to pay you a visit.

"SANS, YOU ARE GETTING WAY TOO LAZY!" The tall skeleton paces left and right, accusing you of slacking off and you can't help but smile at that. "YOU ARE STUCK AT YOUR STATION NOT EVEN COMING HOME! THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS!"

"WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE LIKE ME?" He sighs, but then immediately puffs his chest with pride. " AFTER ALL I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM VERY HEALTHY AND ACTIVE AND A PERFECT ROLE MODEL!"

"Yeah, you are amazing." You look at him with a tired smile. You want to sleep so badly that you can't really think, but you still appreciate the coolness of his flying cape. It's a special kind of coolness, because the wind is still right now.

"SO LET'S GO AND TAKE A WALK! I'M SURE IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU!" He offers in a tone that makes it sound more like a command.

'papyrus is right as usual, heh.' You hear Sans' voice inside of your head. 'we will not achieve anythin' by just sittin' here. well, aside from going insane.'

'But what if Chara...?' You try to protest, but he interrupts you.

'well, as long we watch over my brother, i'm good.' You feel a wave of anger and it looks like he senses that emotion. 'yeah-yeah, i understand that you worry about everyone... but how 'bout you start to worry for yourself too? you're going bonkers in 'ere.'

'sides, if you exhaust yourself before that creep even shows up, we will fail to defend anybody. and that includes paps... and you know i wouldn't like for that to happen, don't you?' He gives you one of his heavy looks while delivering a very reasonable argument.

You just sigh as you don't have any strength to argue. Three days without sleep can falter anyone's determination. Under the persuasion of the two monsters that you care the most for your stubbornness breaks and you follow Papyrus for a walk.


	11. Calm before the storm

Slowly and reluctantly you're getting away from your post. After every step you turn around to throw another suspicious glance at the door as your tired mind pictures it mocking you in return.

'geez. stop freaking out for a second, will ya?' The image of Sans shakes his head. 'dontcha think that they would've come out by now if they wanted to? it took them just one day last time...'

'I don't kno-o-ow...' you whine mentally. 'And this is driving me nuts!'

Stopping to gather your thoughts you fiercely scratch the back of your skull in an act of confusion and frustration. Good thing Papyrus didn't notice, because he's left you a little bit behind. His pace is just too quick for your short and weak legs.

'I...' You sigh. 'I honestly don't know what to do now...'

You look at the tall skeleton ahead of you, and he turns around and waves with a cheerful smile on his face. You feel a tad bit uncomfortable. Did he sense your gaze? It seems that being mysterious runs in their family.

'Should we tell everything to Papyrus? To anyone..?' you ask with uncertainty in your inner voice. 'I mean... That I'm inside of your body, along with you? And that there is a crazy human on the loose?'

Sans shakes his head dismissively, without a second thought. 'bad idea.'

'Why? Why is asking for help a bad idea?' You demand an explanation.

'huh, well, you know how i hate to worry paps about anythin', right? he...' Sans voice suddenly sounds strained. 'he can't fix this. he can't hurt anyone... he's incredibly kind and forgiving... but it didn't stop that little...'

'Shh, Sans...' you coo, trying to calm and reassure him, while feeling both sadness and warmth inside of your soul. 'He is safe now. We won't let anything bad happen to him, alright?'

Sans lets out a deep, heavy sigh and echoes back, 'a'right.'

'Okay. So we're not going to tell your brother, but what about the others?' You think, livening up a little. 'Having Undyne's assistance in a fight might be very useful and Alphys may think up a solution for our... rather _sticky_ situation. You know, with us being... _glued_ together.'

Sans chuckles in response. 'well... if you really wanna find a non-violent solution, then undyne is the last for the case and as for alphys... i bet she knows as much 'bout fused monster and human souls as anyone else. which is nothing.'

'sides… do you really think anyone will trust ya?' he adds bitterly. 'it took me so much time to start to trust you and i could read your thoughts and emotions all this time... can you imagine how hard it would be for the others? and don't forget that they can't hear me from 'ere. you could say that i'm with ya, but will they believe you?'

You don't know what you can say to that, so you just start to walk again to not fall back from Papyrus completely.

'and one more thing... i dunno if you know, but undyne is crazy with that human history or whatever. she keeps tellin' everyone that humans can control minds, so she'll definitely think that i'm under control... and y'know, after that fight we had… heh...' Sans closes his eye sockets. 'she might not be that far from the truth.'

You tried to bite your lip, forgetting for a second that you don't have any and let your doubts slip from your mind. 'When Chara took control of me I really thought... It might... Maybe they took control because I started to enjoy the battle...? To have power...'

'don't be silly.' The little skeleton cuts into your rambling and stares at you. It feels like he can see right into your soul. 'you enjoyed that even less than i did. i felt that much.'

'anyway...' He doesn't give you any time to argue. 'even if everyone did believe you... believe us. i'm pretty sure we have to reset this timeline... as much as i hate to do that, but...'

'Tori...' You finish for him, as you feel your soul trembling with all kinds of bad feelings.

'yeah...' A heavy sigh escapes Sans again.

'and after that... they'll just forget everything... damn resets...' He hisses through clenched teeth. 'ugh. i hate to do that to them and i hate to give my all to just go back to zero.'

'Me too...' You hang your head. 'I just hope that we will have a chance to talk with everybody... I don't like to lie and I would love to become their friend.'

'and this is the human that dares to tell me they are bad, heheh.' Sans laughs at you. 'stop being so sweet, geez. you're giving me cavities.'

You pout. 'This is just who I am!'

'i know...' He sighs and gives you a strange look. 'i know...'

As you chat with Sans in the usual silent manner, your path takes a turn and you can't see the damned door anymore. Far from eye, far from heart. This fact, the conversation with Sans and also the calming sound of crunching snow under your feet finally lets you relax a bit after all these days of stress.

'he-he. talking about something sweet.' Your imaginary depiction of Sans points forward. 'this guy is selling nice cream over there. wanna try?'

'i heard those are great for the nerves. after all, if you flip _stressed_ backwards it spells _desserts_.' He chuckles in the back of your head.

'Oh! Oh! I would love to!' It may just taste like regular ice cream, which is good too, but maybe it would be something entirely new.

You approach a sad blue bunny in a colorful clothes who's leaning on his stand. As soon as he notices you his mood improves drastically.

"Hey-hey-hey!' He chants, smiling so wide that it's kind of contagious. "How about some Nice Cream, friend? Just 10 gold for the first customer of the day!"

"Or... a week, actually..." And he is sad again. His ears fall down along with the corner of his smile.

"Slow business, huh?" you ask the poor guy who is obviously not very good at picking the right spot for his stand.

"I keep relocating my store, but no one ever buys anything... But!" He suddenly flips his huge ears up and returns to cheerfulness in a matter of seconds. "I will not give up! Nothing is better than a sweet treat topped with a sweet smile!"

"You know what? You are damn right!" You return a wide smile back at him. "Gimme the nicest of your creams."

Nodding excitedly, he and opens the freezer for you to choose for yourself. Examining the wide assortment of multi-colored wrappers you decide to ask Sans first. 'What's your favorite flavor?'

'i don't usually eat those so you pick.' He shrugs.

'Huh? You don't like nice cream? How come?' It's surprising for this foodie to not like sweets.

'they're just way too small and disappear so fast that i can't even understand what it tastes like.' Sans chuckles in response.

'It's coz you need to lick ice cream, not shove it into your mouth!' you say like an expert.

'whoops. no tongue.' He laughs while you suddenly feel dumb.

'Oh... damn.' So much for an expert. 'Sorry, i totally forgot...'

's'okay.' He shrugs and you're about to move along, when suddenly one thing comes to your mind. It might quite possibly be the silliest of your ideas, but now you really want to give it a try.

Your gaze lingers for a moment before you snatch a nice cream in a pink wrapper and it turns out to be strawberry flavored.

After passing the money to a smiling bunny monster you take a look around. Papyrus is tinkering with the maze puzzle not too far away and you stroll a little further, positioning yourself back to him for a good measure.

You feel so giddy it's no wonder that Sans picks up on your emotions. 'so excited to eat that, huh?'

'You could say that, yea-a-ah...' A Cheshire Cat-like smile crosses your face. 'Say, Sans... You said that I can imagine just about anything and then make it real with magic, right?

'yep.' He nods.

'So... Don't mind if I try something?' You can practically taste the sweetness of your trick.

'huh?' He pulls his brow up in confusion. 'sure...? i guess.'

Of course it could just fail. Your knowledge of magic is limited to brief instructions from Sans, but you just have to give it a try. It's way too fun not to.

You attempt to recall all that is left of your memory about being human and about humans in general. What it was like to be squishy and fleshy, to have eyes in your eye sockets and to have a tongue inside of your mouth. You concentrate on the last thought in particular, filling your mind with every little detail and then letting magic flow into your imagination, turning it into reality.

A flick of blue light between your teeth and a sound of confusion from Sans later you open your mouth and stick out a cyan-colored tongue.

'Oh my god it looks like jelly!' You can't help but start to giggle looking at what you have created.

'what in the world...' Sans is dumbfounded and you can't contain your laughter.

'You complained about the lack of tongue? Now I gave us one!' You proclaim proudly and Sans mumbles something unintelligible in response.

You can't stop laughing at his reaction and Sans gives up and starts to laugh too.

'dang, pal... _snort.._. this is genius, alright? go-ho-ho-o-d...' He laughs so hard that tears well up under his eye sockets. 'how... how did you come up with this…?'

'Well, I'd be lying if I said that it's my idea, but anyways...' You stretch out evasively. 'Let's give it a try, shall we?'

Getting rid of the wrapper you shove it into your pocket and sniff the the ice cream. It smells like sweet milk but sadly, not like strawberry. Gingerly you dare to lick the pink substance and... you feel the taste.

You are overjoyed. Turns out you have successfully created a fully functional magical analogue of a human tongue. This is so bizarre, yet so amazing! And the nice cream tastes alright too. Maybe a little bit too sweet for your liking, not the least bit sour, but the sweetness of your treat and of your success is filling you with energy and positivity.

On top of that, it also stirs something in the deep corners of your mind. This flavor… could it be that you liked it before? That wouldn't be much of a surprize if you did, but the very thought of recalling something from your past is so exciting, that at this very moment you decide for yourself that strawberry is your favorite kind of flavor.

'have i told you that you are somethin' special?' Sans shakes his head, still struggling with laughter.

'Yep,' you reply, enjoying your meal.

'well, it's 'cause you are.' He chuckles.

'let's, uh, ask what my bro's up to. when you finish here, i mean,' he suggests to you.

Doing just that you quickly finish eating and walk to Papyrus who's staring intently at the empty space in front of him, lost in thought.

"Sup?" You ask, looking where he's looking, but seeing nothing.

"WELL... I WAS THINKING OF A WAY TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE." He answers, scratching his bony chin. "BUT THE PROBLEM IS... HOW CAN ANYONE SEE HOW GREAT IT IS, IF IT'S INVISIBLE?"

"Well, that's the whole point, right?" Papyrus' logic is sure something otherworldly.

"NYE-EHS..." He stretches out, still thinking. "BUT STILL..."

You ponder for a bit and came up with something. "Hey."

"I think this puzzle is a _maze_ ing as it is," you say with a sly wink. "I bet anyone who steps into it will be _stunned_ by how good it is."

"WHY THA-" He freezes in the middle of a word and gazes at you with a strange expression. Slowly, he hides his face in his gloved hands and you hear a muffled snicker followed by a muffled scream. "THAT WAS HORRIBLE!"

You also hear Sans laughing again.

"And yet you're still smiling," you remark, relishing in the amusement of two cool skeletons at once.

A few more horrible puns, a little chat about nothing and a nice walk around the snowy landscape later you stand near the bridge to Snowdin in a field of snow poffs.

One of the snowy lumps moves and you decide to investigate it closer. Suddenly, you are being attacked!

"Wh..." You didn't have time to even say anything as the pile of snow in front of you bursts, releasing the white hurricane that was hiding inside of it all this time. It takes you by storm, making you fall.

"Heeey, big dude. Easy now!" After the initial shock is gone you can't contain your smile as a white dog stands above you, breathing at you with warm breath. He licks your face with a big, wet tongue and you giggle. "How about you let me stand up?"

The dog jumps away and now it bounces around, barking excitedly, eyes somewhere on a level of your chest. This dog is flipping huge! Well, compared to Sans it is.

"Ah, you wanna be petted, don't you? Who's a good doggie? Who's a good doggie!?" Like he was waiting just for that the dog flops on his back exposing his warm fluffy belly.

You scratch the cute monster's tummy and he shakes his leg, gaping his toothy mouth in a big happy smile. His tail wags so intensely that it creates a little snow blizzard around itself. 'Awww, how adorable! Is this one of your friends Sans?'

'he-he, yeah. it's the greater dog.' He chuckles, enjoying the show.

'Wha...?' You are confused, you thought that he would be a lot bigger. 'Oh wait... Ahaha, I didn't even recognize him without his armor!'

'yeah, i can imagine that.' Sans nods, smiling.

While you play with the huge puppy Papyrus is casting you disapproving looks from afar.

"MAYBE IT'S ENOUGH PETTING FOR TODAY?!" He grumbles, coming closer and looking at the Greater Dog with suspicion.

"Hah, Papyrus, are you jealous?" you ask, surprised to see him acting like this.

"W-WHAT!? NO!" the tall skeleton shouts, looking away. "I AM WAY TOO GREAT TO EVER STOOP TO SOMETHING AS PETTY AS JEALOUSY!"

The dog monster barks at you one last time and bounces away to his doghouse. You follow him with your gaze and then look at Papyrus, who is still pouting. God knows how you can tell it by looking at his face, but somehow you can.

'Sans, are you thinking what I'm thinking'? you ask, filled with a wave of playful emotions.

'go for it pal...' You hear Sans' chortle. 'just go for it.'

"C'mon, bro." Your smile turns mischievous. "Do you wanna be petted too?"

"I...!" He freezes, looking unsure. "MAYBE...? I MEAN... I CAN'T BE LESS PETTABLE THAN ANY DOG!"

"Then come here!" You beckon.

Slowly, he comes closer to you. "And bow down your head so I can reach it."

He did what you asked and, dying from inner laughter that is echoed by Sans' laughter, you pet Papyrus.

You stroke his smooth head with a swell of affection. It's just so silly and bizarre, but on the other hand, it's pretty cute too.

"WOWIE! THAT WAS WEIRD..." Papyrus exclaims, straightening himself after you're done with your shenanigans. He seems conflicted. "I DON'T KNOW WHY DOGS FIND THAT SO EXCITING."

"I MEAN, RUNNING FOR STICKS I CAN UNDERSTAND!" he shouts out with a smile. "BUT PETTING IS JUST OVERRATED!"

"Maybe I'm just not good at it?" you say, still trying to suppress laughter.

"NYEH HEH HEH! THAT MIGHT BE THE CASE! I WILL ASK UNDYNE TO PET ME! I'M SURE SHE IS A LOT BETTER AT THIS!" You almost fail to not laugh out loud this time. Sans' laughter in a back of your mind doesn't help either.

'He can't be serious!?' Or can he?

'i'm pretty sure he is.' Sans sighs with a note of pride in his tone.

'Oh god, what have I done!' You are both terrified and highly amused.

It's getting late by the time you're back in front of the skeleton brothers' house. Sans persuades you to stop wasting your life and mental condition away by sitting in front of the door and one can only be grateful to him, as well as to Papyrus, for such a fun day.

You take a deep breath of a chilly air and call out, "Hey, Papyrus."

"YES, BROTHER?" He turns his head to you.

"You were right. It is really nice to stretch your bones after sitting and doing nothing." Your smile is pretty sincere right now and your soul is closer to being at peace than is has ever been the entire time you've spent in the Underground. "Thank you for taking me with you."

"YOU REALLY THINK SO!?" You see a glimpse of something like sparkles in his eye sockets, but just for a moment, and you assume that you're seeing things. "AHEM... I MEAN... OF COURSE I AM RIGHT! I'M ALWAYS RIGHT! AND... YOU'RE WELCOME! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Before going into the house you recall something and take the nice cream wrapper out of your pocket. You smooth out the crumpled paper and suddenly your souls are filled with warmth.

The phrase written on a wrapper says: "Never forget that someone cares about you.'


	12. Cracked mask

The last corridor.

You walk around, investigating every corner. You're searching for something you may have missed, something that might help you solve the puzzle of sparing Chara. However, as hours pass by, you can't manage to grasp it, even if it seems like it's right here.

The walls, the windows and the pillars are so huge, that they make you feel incredibly small and vulnerable in comparison. It also feels like they are staring at you... judging you... blaming you... reminding you of everything that once happened at their witness. This room is really, really uncomfortable.

The thundering bird's chirp forces your soul to skip a beat and suddenly you sense a wave of growing panic. You decide that you've had enough of this place and turn around to leave, when you bump into someone.

You open your mouth to apologize, but freeze as soon you focus your gaze. Your body starts to tremble like a leaf in a blizzard.

There is a small, crooked figure right in front of you.

You try to flinch away instinctively and teleport out of here. You want to run, to hide, to do something... but you can't. You can't move. You can't move at all.

'Sans, what should we do!?' you shout mentally, but there is no answer.

'P-please... help me...' you ask for help.

But nobody came.

The world starts to crumble around you, leaving an empty black void where it's only you, the small demon and no hope for escape.

Insane laughter fills everything. Wild echoes pick it up and bounce it from the nothingness back at you, digging into your skull, twisting into your nerves, piercing your mind. It's so loud that you think you will go deaf but, unfortunately, you don't, and you're forced to listen to the terrifying sound.

The child looks up, revealing their face. Twisted features are crossed by an unnatural demonic smile. Red eyes glowing with madness and hate are staring right into yours.

They inch closer and closer as you can't do anything but stand and watch, filling with more horror with every passing second. It's seems like there is no end to this mad staring contest when, right in front of your face, they stop. The seemingly endless laughter disappears from you mind, leaving a ringing silence.

Then their face starts to melt, dripping on to you and you shudder in disgust.

"Y.. yo-u.. k-ilLd mee..." You hear a distorted whisper that shakes you down to the core, pushing tears of guilt and despair from your eyes.

In the next moment the void is pierced with the FIGHT sound. You feel cold steel on your ribs and your soul bursts with pain.

The color red swallows everything.

You jerk up, clutching your burning chest and gasp for air, shaking and not fully understanding yet who you are and where you are.

The distinct feeling of a soul trembling from pain slowly brings you back to your senses.

'I-i-i-t was j-just a n-n-nightmare,' you stutter mentally, trying to convince yourself of that. Your teeth are clanking against each other, tapping away something in improvised Morse code.

Staring absently in front of you and breathing heavily, you begin to calm down. It's still dark in Sans' room. A quiet and peaceful night. It's quiet and peaceful everywhere but in your mind, as you start to hear groaning and mumbling at the back of your head. It appears that Sans is suffering from a nightmare too.

'no... not again...' he whines in his sleep and your aching souls squeeze in your chest. You can't stand him going through this. Immediately, you decide to wake him up.

'Sans...' you call out to him. 'It's just a bad dream, Sans. Wake up.'

You hear a loud gasp followed by heavy breathing, the same as yours before.

'ughhh... is... is this mornin' already?' he mutters in a tired voice after catching his breath.

'No, sorry...' His mental image appears to you and you look at him with worry. He looks so lost and fragile right now. 'I noticed that you're having a nightmare...'

'damn... did I wake ya up?' he asks, holding his forehead in a bony palm.

'No-no... I... I just woke up from a nightmare too,' you admit reluctantly.

'oh.' Sans glances at you under his hand and you sense a quick change of emotions coming from him. Surprise, to worry and to sadness. 'that sucks, buddy.'

'Do you want to talk about it?' You're pretty sure he is not going to share anything with you but you have to at least try. 'It might make you feel better.'

'no... no...' He rubs his face and slowly shake his head, like he's struggling with something.

'i'm just so...' A tired sigh escapes him. 'so stressed out and i can't do anything 'bout it... i just... i wish...'

'Wish what?' you ask, urging him to continue. 'What do you wish?'

'uh, forgeddaboudit.' He turns away and you can barely hold back your irritation. Sans is just so stubborn.

'Oh, come on! Don't be that way! I'm sure we can do something with that.' You drill the back of his skull with a puppy-eyed stare and he slowly turns back to you.

'Do you want to go and pet the dogs again? Or would you prefer to pet Papyrus?' His shoulders twitch like he is about to laugh. 'No? Then how about we go to Grillby's?'

'I want to help you, Sans! And I...' You sigh. 'I understand you. All of this waiting is eating up my nerves too.'

Sans doesn't respond, but he is sure thinking about something. The pinpricks of light in his eye sockets are quivering and shifting left and right. Sweat is sliding down his skull and you start to really worry about him. You don't understand why he's so nervous. It might be the most nervous you ever saw him.

'i... i...' Now he is shaking, like something is tearing him apart from the inside.

'i can't... i can't take this anymore...' he whispers as his shoulders drop and a sudden wave of mixed emotions hits you. There are so many emotions that you're almost drowning in them. It's like something broke the dam inside of Sans' mind and now everything he feels is pouring down at you.

'you've been... so honest with me all this time.' He is struggling with every word as you desperately trying to sort out your feelings from his, not quite understanding what is going on. 'in fact, you're so honest in what you feel and say and do, that at first i thought it was all just some sort of a trick.'

'hah... ' Sans chuckles nervously and shakes his head. 'but you are just that. honest.'

'and... it can't be your turn forever... r-right?' He stutters, refusing to look at you. 'i guess i owe you some honesty too...'

The emotional storm rages inside of your combined souls. You're stunned by what is going on right now. What's got into him? But after gathering yourself you think that you finally get it.

Sans is opening up... and it's just unbelievable.

Though you have to admit that knowing more about him is something that would be good for both of you, something nags you about this. It's obvious that he is still vulnerable after having that nightmare.

'Are you sure?' you ask slowly and carefully. 'You don't owe me anything, really. I just... I don't want you to regret this afterwards...'

'no... i... i want to... i really want to... i really...' But his voice doesn't sound certain.

'look...' He rubs his face and talks to you but it feels like he's trying to convince himself. 'you told me before that you needed to get things out of your system and it's really stuck in my head since then...'cause i... i might really need this too.'

'i mean... you prolly know that i don't tell anythin' to anybody, right? heh, yeah...' He chuckles uncomfortably. 'everybody knows that by now, b-but... i feel...'

'ugh.' He sighs in irritation. Seems like it's really hard for him to find the right words.

'remember, how back when we just met, ya said that uh... sometimes you remember stuff, but vaguely? that you feel like you've done it before?' he asks you suddenly and you nod in response.

'that's what i feel... like i tried. tried to share. it's just all... gone.' The hopeless feelings are spewing out of him with every word and it's painful. It's painful to hear that. 'gone with another god damn reset and nobody, including me, remembers it.'

'Oh...' You don't know what to say, but it does explains a lot. Or at least why Sans was so closed off.

'i was still thinking 'bout it, a'right? but i always stopped, 'cause what's the point in blabbing if everyone will just forget everything?' He jerks his shoulders in a weak attempt at shrug.

'but now... if i talk, i will remember and if i tell you... you will remember too, even if time resets. and it's just so tempting to...' It seems like he is livening up a little, but then he sighs and hangs his head. 'ah, crap, no... no... i shouldn't...'

'i shouldn't bother you with my damn things...' Sans hides his face in his hands and you feel the strong urge to slap him. Or hug him. Or both. 'there is enough going on so...'

'Sans...' You cut off his mumbling with a stern look. 'I want to hug you so tight right now, so it would squeeze all this crap out of you.'

He looks up at you with confusion and you take that as your cue to talk. 'You will not bother me at all.'

'In this situating we... we must support each other, okay? I would love to know. I would love to know more about you and I would love to help you.' You try to sound as reassuring as possible. 'You can tell me anything. Anything you're comfortable sharing I will share with you!'

'ha-ha. see? SEE? you are so DAMN nice i just can't... i can't handle it.' Now he's laughing but it's some kind of weird, unsure laughter.

Sans stares down, thinking for some time. The emotional storm somewhat settles down, but you still can feel a lot more from him than you used to. It's really strange and concerning.

He sighs and starts to talk. 'it's all of this, y'know?'

'Uh... What?' you ask, confused.

'i mean... i... i thought... ugh... ' A frustrated sound escapes him. 'i thought that knowing exactly what's going on would give me control over the situation. i thought that remembering everythin' between timelines would be better than forgetting... and look at me now...'

He chuckles humorlessly and shakes his head. 'i have no control at all.'

'i know stuff and i remember stuff... but...' He hides face in his hands once again, making his words sound a bit muffled. 'even in my dreams i can't move and there is dust and blood and right now... i wish to forget...'

Shocked and saddened by Sans revelation you mutter, 'So we have same nightmares, huh...'

'wait... really?' He lifts his head to look at you in disbelief.

'Yeah...' The fear and guilt that you felt in your nightmare returns and starts to gnaw you from the inside. 'Can't fight, can't escape, can't forget...'

For a while both of you sit in silence, eaten by your own and shared demons.

'I'm really sorry, Sans...' You break as you can't hold yourself anymore. 'That I made you feel this way... That you have no control, I mean... And... I wish to forget too... I... I feel awful... I am awful...'

'told ya already, that you're not.' He looks at you with sadness seeping out of him. 'you are a nice person.'

'Ha! What kind of a nice person kills children and lets innocent people die!? I... I...' You feel tears approaching and get irritated with yourself. It's not the time to be a crybaby, when you're supposed to help Sans.

'you're better than this, buddy. please, don't cry.' He is comforting you... It makes you feel bad.

'Ugh, sorry.' You sniff angrily, trying to get ahold of yourself. 'I'm way too emotional and I can't help it. I... I can't even hide it away from you. I'm really sorry about that...'

'hey.' He draws your attention. 'it's not... uh, it's actually the opposite, buddy.'

'Huh?'

'i'll explain... if you're still willin' to listen to me...' You nod sharply. 'alright...'

'your emotions...' Sans starts his explanation. 'i can feel 'em all the time. they are all 'round my soul and it's, uh... s'really hard to put to words.'

'but all of them... your energy, your optimism, your passion... it all reminds me... of me, actually.' Your surprise must be palpable as you hear Sans chuckle in response.

'heheh. yes, it's true... i'm not lazy, y'know.' He shrugs. 'i've never been lazy and i used to be passionate too... 'bout my job, 'bout my friends... 'bout my family...'

'even now i am... or, huh, it's what i have to tell myself every goddamn day. every goddamn minute. to convince myself... because he needs me and i need him to need me, o-okay?' he says with despair in his voice. You're filled with mixed feelings of both sadness and warmth as you can only assume he is talking about Papyrus. 'cause without him... who'll need me...?'

'but now... oh god, i shouldn't say these things, but, uh, whatever...' He shakes his head like he's trying to shoo away an annoying fly.

'these emotions of yours are all around my soul. they all are so persistent, so contagious... i tried so hard to push them back, to close off like i used to, 'cause it's painf... ugh...' He stops himself, irritated, and waves his hand dismissively. 'nah, it's not that.'

'i closed off because it's you, it's not me...' He continues. 'but i just can't resist anymore. and it's so... so...'

'god, i'm so bad at talking...' Sans shakes his head again.

'but s'not a bad thing, no. it's not like i thought it would be. it's just... reminded me about how life used to be... and after so many years?' he asks himself staring into the empty space.

'i finally feel alive... And just... FEEL. y'know, in general,' he says and it seems like he really means it. You are simply stunned. 'optimism, confidence, determination... so many emotions. and even anger and sadness is fine by me, because they make me feel like i actually have a soul and i'm not the machine i've became lately.'

'i feel like... like despite the anomaly, despite two crazy children on the loose, despite not being in control... despite everything i... i have hope,' he confesses in a shaky voice like it's strange for him to even say that. But you feel it. You feel it through his opened soul, thought the crack in the mask that he always wearing, thought the broken dam he built to hide the flow of emotions away from you... You feel that he does feel hope.

'and i just... i just have to thank you for that. you're... ha-ha. 'His laughter is nervous, but it feels sincere too. 'you are something special after all...'

You are at a loss of words. What can you even say after that speech? A silly, astounded smile settles on your borrowed face and you feel tears approaching again, but this time it's an entirely different type of tears.

'I'm so, so glad to hear it... Thank you...' You are pushing coherent thoughts through your still quite stunned mind just to tell him something. Just to show how much it means to you that he opened up for you. 'Thank you for sharing all this with me.'

'hey.' Sans responds quietly. 'no problem.'

He breathes out in content and mumbles. 'wow. huh. it... actually helped… who could've guessed.'

You lie on the mattress, relishing in positive feelings. You can't quite tell yours and Sans' emotions apart, but right now you don't even care too much about it.

After a little bit, something comes to your mind and now you are simply beaming with happiness.

'So... friends?' you ask gingerly, inner voice full of hope.

'i, uh...' Sans suddenly turns away

'Wha...?' Oh... of course.

Realization comes rushing like an ice shower. He already knew everything about you from the very start. He has read your soul, your thoughts, your feelings. For him you are just a weirdo who took over his body. An annoying fan, who thought that he was your friend after playing a game with him as character. It's simply selfish to assume he would like to be friends for real.

He sighs and turns back to you. 'no. whatever you're thinking back there the answer is no.'

'i don't think about you as bad or annoying and i don't hate you for ending up in my body. i just...' He sighs again.

'do you really want to call me your friend? what kind of friend am i? an imaginary friend? heh... ' He chuckles bitterly.

'But that's not true, Sans!' you burst. 'You are helping me so much! Without you I wouldn't be able to stop Chara. Without you I would be so lost and alone in here... You keep telling me that I'm special... But you are special too!'

'So, okay, maybe it's not my fault that I ended up in your body, but it's definitely not your fault either!' You have to admit that it is kind of silly of you to always blame yourself for that. 'And it's the least I can do to help you, to support you, to be your friend.'

'heheh...' He closes his eye sockets, laughing softly and, after few moments of thinking, he says, 'if ya say so... friend.'

Hearing that is just so great. You aren't sure how can you repay him, but you may have one idea.

'Sans... you… You trust me, right?' He nods, looking at you, one eye closed. 'I want to try something, if you don't mind.'

'heh...' He shrugs. 'sure.'

Without hesitation you draw out your combined souls. They are beating steadily, pulsing in sync. You breathe in and out to calm yourself and slowly reach your bony finger to touch them.

The forgotten overwhelming experience strikes you again. You are flowing in the streams of the combined mentalities, of who you are and who Sans is. For a moment it feels like he is really here, right beside you and you gather everything positive and fond that you think about him, sending it through your soul to him. The next second his soul starts to tremble and you feel a wave of emotional response...

You can only interpret it as timid "thank you."


	13. Royalty

'What a crazy fangirl dream...' you think as you wake up, disturbed by a bright daylight bursting through the window. Your head hurts either from oversleeping or from not getting enough sleep overall.

Rubbing your sleepy face you pull yourself to sit up when you notice a red glow behind your closed eyelids.

Your eye sockets snap open and you stare at the two combined souls floating right in front of you. In a little flash back you recall that you were so worn out by restless nights and so lulled by the positive feelings you exchanged with Sans that you fell asleep without bothering to pull the souls back. Any doubts about the night's events being real flew away into the sunrise and you're hit by your delayed reaction.

'Wow...' You and Sans are actually friends now. And he trusts you enough to open up... This thought is very heartwarming.

'can't get me _out of your head_?' The sneaky little pun master winks at you out of nowhere, startling you. Seems like he woke up before you.

'More like the opposite...' you grumble half-heartedly but decide not to dwell on it and change the subject. 'Slept well?'

'Like the _dead_.' He snickers but then falls silent, thinking about something.

You dwell on your thoughts too, or at least you try to, as yours still not fully awakened mind refuses to generate anything useful.

'k-hm.' Sans' cough gains your attention. 'i just... want to thank you again. for listenin' to me.'

'it was nice to tell the truth for a change... i feel so light,' he says, looking down. 'like something dark and heavy got... less dark and heavy... uh.'

'ha-hah... ' He laughs in embarrassment, rubbing his face. 'i can't talk for beans, sorry.'

'Hey... No problem. That's what friends are for, right? And I must thank you in return... , for trusting me so much...' You smile softly. 'I'll do my best to not let you down.'

'And speaking of not letting down...' Worry starts to rise inside of you, unwelcomed but inevitable. You sigh heavily, 'I hate to be that guy, but... there are things to be done.'

'nah, you're right.' Sans frowns. 'let's go check that door.'

Using shortcuts is getting easier every time. Floating in the void filled with letters that capture every detail about everything and everyone in the Underground, you prod to find out how and where to step to get where you want as fast as possible. You may not really understand what is going on but something definitely helps you to navigate and now you wonder if you have a talent to this or it's just because you're fused with Sans.

You move from the pages that describe skeleton brother's house, to the passage filled with countless repetitions of the word "snow" along with in-depth descriptions of snow, to the page all about the door. Reaching your destination you once again try to enter the Ruins, but as the real door doesn't let you pass, you can't go further here either. You just can't move forward, like the road ends here.

It's hard to tell how much time it takes to use a shortcut, because there is no time in the lettery void, but hardly more than a second. Bursts of colors blind you for a moment and you take a quick mental note to figure out how to deal with this difference in brightness upon entering the real world. A careful look around confirms that no one left the Ruins while you were away. The fresh snow that fell last night remains undisturbed. There are only a few sets of light traces left by the birds.

Birds... Little intruders from the surface, now trapped in here. Just like you.

Doubtful thoughts fill your mind. Will you be able to keep your sincere but rushed promise to free the monsters? How long will you have to wait for something to happen? How much of this waiting your nerves can take? And most importantly... What will you do when the time finally comes to face Chara once again?

You recall this night's nightmare and shudder. It was way too realistic for your comfort. Could it be a prophetic dream? By god let's hope it's not! You really don't want to tempt your fate by taking another hit from that terrifying knife...

"That knife..." It strikes you, you don't even notice you said it out loud.

'what 'bout it?' Sans asks in confusion.

'If it's the same as in the game... than Chara only gets their knife in Asgore's house!' you proclaim thoughtfully. 'It might be a good idea to take a look at it.'

'huh? seriously?' Sans raises his brow bone at you. 'why didn't ya say so earlier?'

'Eh... I totally forgot about that. Sorry.' you respond, feeling ashamed and start to prepare for another teleportation.

Now you're standing in front of another door leading to Home, but it's a door to New Home instead. Without a second thought you push it forward and step inside aiming to go to the room that once belonged to kids, when you hear soft whistling followed by a deep-voiced singing.

"Here's a little song I wrote... hmm-hmm..." You are so shocked to hear singing in here that you just stand with a leg hovering up in the air, unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry, be h... Oh! Who's there? A guest?" It's too late to backpedal as you have been spotted and well, honestly, that was kind of foolish to go into someone's house expecting the owner to not be there.

"Howdy, Sans! Boy, what a pleasant surprise." King Asgore, and you can't mistake this guy for anyone else, is simply beaming with hospitality.

You start to panic, even though you're desperately trying to not show it. Asgore seems nice at the moment, but the last time you met your foolishness took the better of you and he saw your soul. Could he retain this memory about you? He does remember something in the game so who knows what dwells inside of that crowned head...

"Please, come on in for a cup of tea!" He makes a welcoming gesture for you to come into the living room and his cape sways with the movement.

Your gaze jolts around the room looking for a trap you might be lured into... but everything seems calm and domestic. Flowers in the pots, shelves filled with worn books, old gardening tools and nothing to hint on a bunch of royal guards hiding around every corner like your inner paranoic keeps nagging about.

After few moments of hesitation you've decided that running away now would be way too suspicious and you gingerly come to sit down by the table.

"Nice day today, isn't it?" The king of all monsters smiles kindly, looking down at you.

Compared to you he is gigantic, twice the size of Sans, but that doesn't make him threatening at all. He is like an abnormally sized and armored teddy bear. Except that he is not a bear and more of a goat... dog... thingy. He just doesn't seem like a guy who would be plotting complicated schemes when he knows about anything. This thought settles you down for a bit.

"How is your life? What brought you to me?" It's the second time you are stuck in the awkward situation of sitting in front of the furry boss monster with no idea what to talk about. At least now you have Sans' support on your side.

'What should I say?' you ask nervously and somehow you manage to whisper loudly in your mind. You aren't sure how or why you did that, because only Sans can hear your thoughts anyway.

'i dunno? i don't tend to visit him like this...' he thinks for a bit. 'well, i do work as a sentry, so maybe try to pretend that you're here for that?'

"Uh... Everything's fine. No humans to report," you blurt out awkwardly, trying to keep a fake smile. So freaking smooth.

"That is very good." It seems that he bought that. Thank god. "But let's talk about something else. How's your brother doing?"

"Oh, Papyrus... He..." You stop for a second to talk to Sans. 'I didn't know that goat dad knows about Paps.'

'well, asgore is older than anyone else down 'ere and he always walks around to check on people so, uh, don't be surp... pfffft, wait...' Sans stares at you with wide eye sockets, shaking from uncontrollable laughter. 'WHAT did you just call him? WHY?'

You wish that the ground would swallow you right now. Why had that stupid nickname slipped your mind!?

'I'll explain it to you later, okay?' you grumble mentally, secretly hoping that he'll forget about this incident.

"He is... very enthusiastic, as usual." You're trying to sound casual, but you aren't sure you're managing to do that. "Working hard to impress Undyne."

"How wonderful! He reminds me a lot of her, when she was a bit younger. So much energy and... well... Undyne is very energetic still, ho-ho." Asgore's laugh is so soft and warm that you could make it your canon laugh for Santa Claus. And thinking about it you wouldn't be surprised to meet the real Santa one day, knowing that magic really exists. "I am happy that she has such a nice friend like your brother."

"Yeah." You nod in agreement, not sure what else to say.

The fire is crackling quietly in the chimney, spreading pleasant warmth around the living room. Yellow flowers on the table smell sweet and rich, same for the steaming cup of tea in front of you. It's cozy in here and yet something feels off. Exactly the same as with Asgore. As fuzzy, warm and welcoming he is, there are so many dark secrets and loneliness hidden in him and in his house...

You wish you could help somehow, but what can you do or say? Tell him that his children are not really dead and now kill everyone in the Underground for fun? That his wife is still around, but doesn't want to see his face? That there are two humans down here but even killing them won't help him to free his people? No... Of course you won't say that. It would only make things worse.

Lost in thought you try to taste the tea but it's actually very tricky to take a sip without having lips. The rim of the cup slips from your teeth and some of the brown liquid spills onto you.

"Damn..." you curse, feeling embarrassed. And poor Sans has to live all his life like this!

"Whoops." The king glances at you worriedly. "You ought to be careful, the tea is still quite hot."

"That's okay, I don't have any skin to burn anyway." You wave your hand dismissively, while observing the damage to your clothing. At least there are just few spots on the shirt so it's not that bad.

"Oh... That is true." The kind monster smiled in response.

'heheh. nice one, pal.' Sans chuckles in your head. 'and by the way...'

'now we have a _tea_ -shirt.' He winks and snorts, pleased with himself.

'What do y... Oh... _t_ -shirt... Of course. ' Once you get the joke you can't hold back a snicker.

"Do you recall something funny?" Asgore asks in a friendly curiosity.

"I do actually!" You smile wider and share Sans' joke.

"What a _tea_ -rrific joke!" Asgore chuckles and you laugh, caught by surprise of hearing a pun from him.

'tea jokes. they always _melt_ _the ice_.' The little jokester in your head gives you a cheerful wink.

Sans is right, after sharing a few laughs the atmosphere becomes a lot lighter and it leads you into a pleasant conversation accompanied by silly remarks from Sans that force you to suppress spontaneous giggles. The slow, cushioned voice of the monster king is excellent for storytelling.

"And she just yelled at you to fight with full force, right?' you ask, already knowing the answer.

"Exactly! And after I refused she... what do you call it? Suplex...? Suplexed the throne, yes.' Asgore nods, smiling, and you laugh. That's so like Undyne. "Good thing that my throne is very sturdy and that she was not that strong back then."

"Yeah, what a shame would it be for a king to end up without a throne." You nod several times like an expert on this subject but then you notice that the king's smile falters. "Did I said something wrong?"

"I am terribly sorry but since you came I have this feeling…" he says thoughtfully, looking intently at you. "Like you have something that I need…"

You gulp down your non-existent throat and sink into the chair, unconsciously trying to disappear completely out of sight. 'That's it Sans... we're screwed.'

Now monster that sitting and thinking in front of you seems a lot bigger and more menacing than before. Though it might be that sliding down to eye level with the tabletop played its part on changing your perception.

Waiting for his next actions is unbearable and you're on the brink of using teleportation to get out of here.

"Yet I forgot what could it be…" Asgore sighs after he done with thinking. "Do you remember borrowing something from me?"

The illusion of a threat is gone and you almost fall under the table in relief.

' Man… These time shenanigans are going to drive me insane, I'm telling you…' You try to pretend that you're thinking about the thing you were asked while talking with Sans. 'You didn't take anything from him by chance?'

'nope,' Sans replies shortly and you curse mentally. That can only means that Asgore did recall something...

You straighten yourself and try to make sure your voice isn't shaking. "No, I'm sorry, but I don't remember taking anything from you."

"Hmm. Alrighty then." He nods and you actually feel grateful to him for leaving this topic so easily.

"I do not wish to seem rude but I'm afraid it's time for me to go." The big monster stands up, looking at you apologetically. "There is still some business left to do and I've yet to water my garden."

"Oh, that's okay! To be fair I have some... stuff... to do too, "you quickly assure him and add in an attempt to end this on a light note. "It was very nice to share a cup of _royal-tea_ with you."

"Ho-ho! Indeed it was!" Asgore laughs in response, smiling again like nothing's wrong. "Feel free to visit again."

"I'll keep that in mind, "you promise, following him to the front door.

"Have a good day, Sans." And with that the king of all monsters walks away, waving goodbye before his large horns disappears downstairs.

"Phew." You breathe out, standing in hesitation. 'Well that was... something.'

'you didn't forget why we 'ere is the first place, did ya?' Sans asks, and you feel a bit irritated.

'Of course not! I'm not that stupid. I'm just...' You sigh. 'I feel bad now. For snooping around his house.'

's'not like we have much of a choice.' Sans shrugs in response.

'Yeah...' You hang your head and shuffle towards your destination.

You breathe in the stuffy air of the place that was once filled with life and hope, now only filled with floating particles of dust. Dusty toys, dusty furniture, dusty photograph in a frame. Two small, abandoned beds...

It's hard to grasp on the feelings that are brewing inside of you by being in this room, but let's start with "uneasy" and "sad" with a few pinches of "fear" and "anxiety". You want to get out of here as quickly as possible, but you can't contain your curiosity and take a look at the photo. Dusting it off reveals that it's actually not a photo, but a very realistic drawing. As far as you can tell anyway, because it's very old and worn out by time.

Of course you know who's pictured here. The Dreemurr family. They're all smiling happily. Toriel and Asgore are hugging each other close. Asriel is just an adorable little ball of fur. Even Chara doesn't look creepy at all, just a kid in a striped shirt...

'God... how life can be so unfair...' you ask no one in particular, blinking to force the upcoming tears away.

Sans sighs in the back of your head and you put the picture back where it belongs before he gets angry with you for wasting time on moping.

Quick scavenging around gives you results. First you find a little heart-shaped locket in the drawer, but decide not to touch it and then, finally, you discover what you're searching for. A worn dagger.

You grab the handle with a suddenly shaking hand and start to examine the thing that caused you so much pain in a previous timeline. It looks just like an ordinary tool, a bit chipped, but still sharp. A simple blade and nothing like what you had to deal with.

'Am I wrong? Is... Is this knife nothing special?' you mutter mentally. 'Could it be that anything can turn into a weapon of hell in the hands of that kid?'

'hell if i know, bud,' Sans replies to your thoughts.

You shake your head, frowing. 'This is no good... No good at all.'

Still, you've decided to hide this thing where Chara can't find it. You use yet another shortcut, this time to Sans' lab and tuck the knife into one of the drawers. Only after double checking that you closed everything do you lean on the cold, soundproof door and allow yourself a tiny sigh of relief.

You close your eye sockets to concentrate on the mental image of Sans. His expression doesn't tells you much, but his emotions give away that he is thinking about something important. This type of emotion coming from him is definitely new for you. You realize that it's because he doesn't hide it from you anymore. That thought makes you just a little bit happier.

'so...' Sans notices your stare. 'what's our plan now?'

'The same as before... Waiting.' You shrug. 'Do you have any better ideas? I would go for a better idea...'

'nah.' He shakes his head. 'i was thinkin' on our options, but looks like we don't have any.'

'i mean, yea, we could barricade the door so no one could leave from there but it, uh, wouldn't solve anything either. we could also try and go through the barrier again, but i wouldn't leave my bro like this and the risk of dying again... we can't afford it.' He voices his thoughts and you nod in agreement. Avoiding the conflict is definitely not the answer here.

'but what to do with that kid when they show up... that's the real question. if even kil... stopping them,' he corrects himself under you guilt-tainted look. 'is not a permanent solution...'

'Let's try talking to them again...' You clench your fists and mumble. 'There's gotta be a way to reach out to them, there's just got to be something...'

'i, uh, hate to break it ya, buddy,' Sans shifts uncomfortably. 'but y'know i'm good at reading expressions, right? it's a neat little talent of mine, helps to please the crowd... so... i saw their expression and... uh...'

'they don't want to give a chance to anybody and that... that includes themselves.' He sighs heavily. 'i'm not sure you can save someone who doesn't want to be saved...'

Sans' words hits you like a boot to the head and makes you remember about Asriel. That he can't be saved, doesn't wanted to be saved and is not allowed to be saved...

But you are stubborn. Very, ridiculously stubborn. A wave of determination comes and washes all of the doubts away.

'I will give it a try anyway,' you think firmly.

'I'll try to trap them, to reason with them, to beat them into submission if needed!' you shout mentally, feeling righteous anger flaming inside of your soul. 'Maybe they will be weaker this time. Hell, maybe the reason they are stuck out there is coz they're rethinking their decisions... Hope always dies the last.'

'heh...' Sans closes his eye sockets. 'to be honest, i'm not sure 'bout that thing you're so into. that pacifism can work out in situation like this. so i would suggest to fight till the end, 'cause that what i would've done anyway.'

'B-but I thought you don't like fighting...' you whisper in confusion.

'hear me out, okay?' He cuts through your mumbling, opening one eye to look at you. 'even though that's the last thing i would like to do, i would do that. i would do that again and again until they stop trying, because it seems like the only solution...'

Sans has a point and realizing it makes you sad. Yet, you still don't want to give up on your ideals. You just wish you wouldn't have to go against Sans' wishes...

He chuckles, shaking his head. 'i WOULD suggest it but... no. i will shut my big mouth and let you try your thing.'

You blink owlishly, not expecting him to say that.

'cause feeling your determination, your will to do the right thing, your strive to redeem someone irredeemable, no matter how ridiculous all of this may sound in theory...' He looks at you, pinpricks of lights glowing bright in his eye sockets. 'it makes me want to believe in another solution too.'

You feel like your rising spirit can lift up the entirety of mountain Ebott.


	14. Blast from the past

With your head still pressed to the laboratory entrance you hear the front door opening and closing, followed by the sound of energetic footsteps. You take a look around the corner of the house in time to see Papyrus' back as he rushes towards the bridge out of the town.

You wonder what he's up to. 'Hey Sans, how about we join your brother for now?'

'uh, sure, why not.' He shrugs in response.

After you look around to make sure no one will see you, you blink behind taller skeleton and call out to him, "Hi bro."

Papyrus turns on his heels so fast that the cape flops over his head and you barely hold back a snicker. Sans, however, is chuckling as much as he wants. Little rascal.

"HELLO SANS..." He grumbles, prying red fabric from his face.

"Whaddya up to?" You're trying to mimic Sans' manner of speech even thought you might as well stop trying since you're so inconsistent with it.

"OH! IT'S A TRAINING DAY!" he says with a burst of enthusiasm. "BUT UNDYNE IS BUSY, SO... I HAVE MY OWN PLANS."

He then strikes a heroic pose and proclaims, "I'M UP TO IMPROVE MY SKILLS IN BONE CRAFTING PROWESS!"

"Sounds great!" you respond cheerfully, maybe even a little bit too cheerfully, but you can't help being excited. A chance to take a good look at magic training with the possibility of learning a few tricks for yourself? You can't miss that! "Mind if I join?"

"OF COURSE! HOW CAN I REJECT YOUR WISH TO WITNESS PERFECTION? NYEH HE HEH HE!" Papyrus laughs in amusement.

You're crunching through the snow with Papyrus walking by your side. He actually moves slower this time so you won't fall behind, while looking around and muttering something to himself. His mumbling is so loud that you're surprised that you still can't make out what he's saying. It seems to you that he's acting kind of unusual but you aren't really sure.

"AHA!" He stops at a clearing near the edge of a cliff, with no trees or puzzles around and a thick layer of untouched snow on the ground. "HERE'S A GOOD SPOT FOR TRAINING!"

"BUT FIRST I NEED TO MAKE A TARGET." And with that said he starts to gather snow around the area.

You and Sans both watch in amusement as the cheerful skeleton runs around with impressive speed and energy, rolling a bunch of snow into one giant ball.

A sudden snowball, not giant, but a small one, flies past you and hits Papyrus on the shoulder. The "victim" of the "attack" opens his mouth, about to say something, probably scold you for disturbing him, but then looks behind you with indignant expression. You follow his gaze to see two young drakes standing and laughing not too far away.

"CIVILIANS!" The loud monster shouts at them. "SOON THIS PLACE WILL TURN INTO A DANGEROUS BATTLEGROUND! SO YOU'D BETTER GET GOING!"

The green drake in sunglasses puffs up his feathers with no intention of going away and shouts back, "You can't tell us what to do!"

"Yeah! We can _chill_ here if we want to!" The blue snowdrake echoes his friend's attitude.

You gasp as you realize. It's Snowy and Chilldrake! What an encounter! You think you might have met Snowy before, soon after you found yourself in the Underground, but you aren't exactly sure it was him.

They both look almost the same, like a mix between a bird, a dragon and a snowflake, cute and kind of creepy at the time, with teeth moving inside of their mouths like mini-chainsaws.

Their squabble with Papyrus seems to highly irritate the latter. He's stomping his red boot on the ground, ranting something in an angry voice.

It seems like it could continue forever and you turn to Sans for help. 'You know these two, right? How can we get rid of them?'

'hm... i have an idea.' He explains his plan and you nod with a mischievous smile.

You get out of their sight and wait for the perfect moment to teleport near the two fluffy monsters, gaining their attention with a soft cough, "Nice _feather_ today, huh?'

For them you appear out of nowhere, smiling in an uncanny way and it's actually pretty funny to see how they simultaneously jump on their small bird feet, startled by you.

"What do you want?" Chilldrake scowls and immediately adds, "We are NOT leaving!"

" _Snow_ -way..." Snowdrake squawks, not so self-assured as his pal.

"Don't get too _cocky_ , kids," you say calmly. Your posture is oozing with both laziness and confidence, or at least that's what you're going for. "Are ya only good at _beak_ ering? What will your _parronts_ say if they find out that you're arguing with adults like this?"

Both of them back up a little, pulling their heads closer to shoulders. Snowy glances at you nervously and whispers something to his "partner in crime". You can only make out a few words. "I... dad... probably... Let's... here."

"Are we _cool_?" you ask to make sure you get your point across.

"No, it's we who are _super cool_! Too _cool_ to hang around _old bones_ like you so...!" Now it's Snowdrake's turn to puff up, trying to fight you on the pun field but he is pretty much doomed. There is no way this teen can out-pun Sans and he seems to realize it fairly quickly.

"...good bye," he finishes lamely, pushing Chilldrake, who still doesn't want to go away, rebelling even against his own friend.

'well, that went well,' Sans chuckles, looking at the two kids that are now arguing between each other.

'All thanks to you. Your puns are... so amazingly bad,' you smile but then let out a sigh, recalling something sad. 'Poor Snowy tho... and his parents too. You probably know his father, he's a comedian at MTT resort.'

'wait what?' Sans frowns, probably trying to recall anyone who fits that role. 'oh... that was reggie's son? i knew your thought about "snowy" sounded familiar... reg always talks 'bout him, even on stage.'

'And even more than that. Remember how I mentioned the amalgamates in Alphys' lab? One of them is Snowy's mother...' You shudder, wondering how the amalgamates look in real life. Probably not very pretty.

'damn...' Sans shakes his head, full of mixed emotions. 'i can't believe just how much is goin' on right under my nose hole without me knowing anything about it...'

"Well, you know now.' You try to send a wave of sympathy through your soul to comfort him. 'And with our combined effort we might even be able to fix it!'

'As soon as everything settles down, I'm going to confront Alphys about it. She's gotta stop keeping them trapped down there and..." You're so into this inner conversation that you didn't notice Papyrus sneak up at you. Again.

"WOWIE, BROTHER!" You jump a bit at the loud voice right behind you. It probably looks as silly as the drakes's jump before. "YOUR HORRIBLE PUNS SCARED THESE BIRDS AWAY! WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT PUNS COULD COME IN HANDY FOR ONCE, NYEH HE HE!"

"Heheh, yeah," you laugh awkwardly in response.

"SO... WHILE YOU WERE OUT AND ABOUT CHATTING AND LOITERING I FINISHED ALL PREPARATIONS!" You feel a tad bit sad for Sans. Papyrus always calls him lazy and it might be for a good cause and Sans himself doesn't seem to mind but it's still kind of unfair. "IT MIGHT NOT BE MY BEST WORK BUT IT'LL DO."

"BEHOLD!" He steps aside, revealing the result of his sculpturing spree. "THE FIERCE AND DANGEROUS HUMAN!"

You take a look at the giant - almost as big as Asgore, you might add - ball with a grumpy face made out of little rocks and with bunch of sticks that resemble either very _bushy_ fur or a few dozen arms.

"Awesome," you nod, being honestly surprised at how huge he made this ball on such short notice, but holding back a little snort at the same time. 'So that's how Papyrus imagines humans, huh?'

'what? ya don't look exactly like that?' Sans seems to be genuinely surprised.

'You're kidding me, right?' Does he actually think that your body looks like a giant ball with sticks? This is ridiculous, but... monsters are so weird sometimes that you don't even know what to expect.

'who do ya think i am?' he's playfully pretending to be offended. 'course i'm kiddin'.'

You groan and slide your boney palm across your borrowed face. Just how gullible can you get? That's the stupidest trick and you almost fell for it! Huffing at Sans' smug laughter you turn your attention to his brother.

Standing proud, chin up, with his red cape flailing behind his back, Papyrus points at the round snow figure and proclaims, "HUMAN! YOU HAVE TROUBLED MONSTER KIND FOR WAY TOO LONG! I SHALL DEFEAT YOU AND PROVE TO EVERYONE JUST HOW TRULY GREAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS!"

With a twirl that would make any ballerina eat her own tutu in a fit of jealousy, Papyrus makes a frilly hand gesture and countless blue bones appear out of thin air, now hovering above the ground all over the place. To say you are impressed is an understatement. You, with the combined power of two souls, can't manage to create more than ten bones in one go and you can only pop them out of the hard surfaces like the ground or ceiling.

While you stare in awe Papyrus pushes his hand forward, sending a seemingly endless barrage of glowing projectiles in the direction of the snow "human". It looks impressive but of course every single attack just slides through the target, not dealing any damage at all.

"That "human" sure knows how to handle blue bones," you chuckle in a friendly-mocking way.

"NYEH. THAT'S TRUE. BUT HOW ABOUT THIS!?" Now various bones are popping out from completely random places. Ground, air, everywhere! All in different sizes, color and even in different shapes, one of them being something that looks like a... dog skeleton!?

The weird little creation controlled by magic runs to its target in a clunky and uneven manner, then jumps into the air and snatches one of the branches from the snow figure, collapsing into a pile of bones the next second it hits the ground.

The things that he makes with his magic are unbelievable! Looks like a lot of practice is behind those costume-wearing shoulders.

'cool, right?' Sans asks with a wave of pride for his brother.

"Heck yeah!" you answer excitedly, forgetting for a moment that you have to stay quiet. Papyrus is so surprised by your outburst of emotions that he stops his assault and looks at you like you've suddenly turned into a jar of talking mayonnaise.

To distract him somehow you ask what you actually planned to ask anyway. "That's fantastic bro but can I try too?"

"YOU WANT... TO TRAIN?" The tall skeleton lingers over this sentence like a dish that just doesn't taste right.

"WOWIE! YOU ARE SURE WEIRD LATELY!" he then exclaims with a cheerful smile. "WELL... GO ON AHEAD!"

"IF YOU REALLY WANT TO AND THIS IS NOT ONE OF YOUR PRANKS..." he adds, eyeing you suspiciously.

You let out a sneaky sigh of relief. Looks like you avoided being revealed but you have to be more careful.

The last time you had to cast bones... you don't even want to think about that, but you have to if you actually want to survive that whole dance with death. With that in mind you recall all of your short experience and start to gather Sans' magic.

A line of five white bones bursts out of the ground and moves forward. It's the fastest your attack has ever moved yet you managed to screw up the direction and it slides past the target without even touching it.

"Tsk." You feel disappointed and embarrassed. No wonder that you lost to Chara with "mad skills" like this.

Papyrus doesn't look impressed either. "YOU ARE REALLY OUT OF PRACTICE!"

"I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU CAN BE VERY GOOD AT IT, SANS! YOU JUST NEED TO TRY HARDER!" He is so enthusiastic that your fake smile turns sincere for a moment.

You decide that it's a good time as any to try and learn something from him. "Maybe you can teach me a few tricks?"

"OH-HO! DO NOT FRET, DEAR BROTHER! I'M THE GREATEST AT TEACHING!" He poses dramatically yet again. "I WILL GLADLY BE YOUR COACH!"

"YOU SEE, THE TRICK IS VERY SIMPLE. YOU JUST HAVE TO BE... MORE LIKE ME!" Papyrus explains cheerfully, without any hint that would indicate that he's joking.

"THINK LIKE ME, TALK LIKE ME, ACT LIKE ME, LOOK LIKE ME. WELL, NO... YOU CAN'T... BUT YOU CAN TRY!" You're about to cry from laughter and the other mixed emotions that are boiling inside of you after this "lesson."

"T-thanks... That was very... very inspiring." You stumble through the words, suppressing a burst of laughter. "But maybe you could just show me some more of your attacks so I can learn from your example?"

"SURE THING!" He summons a long white bone into his hand and gives it spin. "WATCH AND LEARN!"

You intently observe Paps' fighting technique. After a while some moves start to make some sense to you. What gestures he makes, how he aims his hands, how hard he concentrates each time... He is so focused that he hasn't even left his initial spot, standing in one place all this time.

You may not have gotten much out of it but you definitely learned something.

By the time he's done with showing off his vast set of attacks there is no more sticks left in the round body of the poor snowman. Instead it's littered with bones that pierce it from every possible angle.

"OKAY." Papyrus breathes out and you can see that he is pretty tired by all this training. "IT'S TIME FOR MY FINAL MOVE! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

He stops and starts to prepare something. He is very concentrated, staring blankly and not moving a muscle. And no wonder. He has no muscles. Except maybe some invisible magical muscles Sans talked about before but it's just too bizarre for your understanding.

Under your stunned gaze the very air starts to visibly tremble and, like a mirage in the desert, a giant dragon-like skull appears, floating right above Papyrus' head.

'So he DOES have Gaster-Blasters!' You barely hold yourself from shouting it out loud, restricting yourself to just screaming internally.

In the back of your head Sans is frowning and thinking about something but you're a little bit busy at the moment to ask him what's wrong.

"NYEH HEH HEH! TASTE MY FULL POWER, VILE HUMAN!" With victorious laughter Papyrus aims his hand to the lone snow figure and shouts even louder than usual. "BLAST!"

Right on command the blaster opens its sharp-toothed maw and with a roaring _whoom_ a bright beam of white light strikes its target.

You blink a few times, recovering from being both blinded and deafened, and take a look around. The blaster is vanished already as well as the snow "human", all that is left of it is a scorched, smoky and completely snowless spot on the ground.

"Whoa..." You are both excited and terrified. For one it's amazing to see such power in action but on the other hand it's super freaky to imagine yourself as a target of this thing.

"You sure showed that human who's boss, right Papyrus?" There is no response. "Papyrus?"

You look up to search the tall skeleton's face. You don't understand what's going on, but something is wrong with him. He looks... pale? How can you tell that by his always white face is beyond you but a fact is a fact, Papyrus definitely looks worse than usual.

"What's wrong? Don't feel well? Too much training?" You bombard him with questions, voice full of worry.

"N-NO IT'S FINE! I JUST... NEED SOME AIR," he trails off, looking down.

"You sure you don't need any help?" you insist, frowning.

"CERTAINLY NOT. I'LL GO... TAKE... FOR A WALK..." he mumbles and turns away from you.

Looking at his hunched back and slow pace as he walks into the woods you feel like your mood is draining with his every step. 'What's got into him...?'

You hear Sans' sigh. 'ya know exactly what's got into him. you're the same after all.'

'Huh?' you let out a sound of confusion.

'kindness.' He sighs again. 'he might sound ready to fight, but as ya can see... even imagining killin' someone is just too much for him.'

'Oh...' Now you feel slightly sick. Sans is right, you do know how awful it feels to cause harm to someone, even if they pretty much deserve it. 'Man... Poor Paps… Can we help him somehow?'

'honestly...? i don't really know,' Sans admits, frowning. 'looks like he want to be alone right now... i'm sure that he'll, uh, snap out of it eventually but seeing 'im like this...'

'It sucks!' you conclude.

'yeah, heh,' he chuckles humorlessly, 'it does.'

You shake your head. What just happened definitely threw you off the balance. Papyrus' cheerfulness is one of the few constants of this bizarre world filled with crazy, unexpected events and if he's feeling down then everything just doesn't feel right. Yet, if even his brother doesn't know what to do about it, then what are you supposed to do…?

'hm,' Sans hums breaking the heavy, gloomy silence. 'but on the other hand... it reminds me that we need a backup plan.'

'What are you talking about?' you ask, still looking at the trees where Papyrus had disappeared from view.

'well... as much as i would like to believe in your ways of dealin' with that weirdo but…' he pauses for a bit, 'if it doesn't work, it might be a good idea to have an actual weapon up n' ready.'

'Oh... Do you...?' You think you get what he means.

'yep,' Sans nods in response. 'we're gonna teach ya how to summon blasters.'

You shouldn't be excited about having a dangerous weapon that made Papyrus so upset just a couple of minutes ago and that you don't want to use for fighting anyway... but how are you supposed to stay calm upon mentioning ability to fire laser beams from a huge freaking dragon skull!?

'lemme just gather my thoughts for a bit,' Sans says, going back to thinking.

'Sure.' You shrug and start to pace around to pass the time. It actually helps to gather some of your shaken balance back.

'so...' the owner of your head finally gets your attention. 'let's start from the beginning. ya figured that our world, at its core, functions like a book of some sort, right?'

'I did! And it's weird...?' you ask rhetorically, admiring the view of the snow-covered forest that opens from the edge of the cliff. 'I imagined it would be like a game, which would've been equally weird, but a book... Somehow I find it surprising.'

'hm...' Sans hums thoughtfully.

You recall something that has been gnawing at you for quite some time, 'there's another thing that keeps bothering me… Why does everything come so easily to me...? I know I asked before but I can't get it out of my head. I'm not a genius or anything close, but figuring stuff out is so intuitive to me that I'm learning new things in a matter of minutes though I'm pretty sure that even monsters have to work on it for years!'

'that's true,' he nods in response.

'Then how am I doing this!? Do you have any ideas? Are YOU the one helping me with this?' you bombard him with questions and though you aren't really hoping for the answers, you still can't help voicing your concerns.

'well, i am, actually,' he replies to your surprise. 'though i'm helpin' ya without doin' anything at all.'

'Uh... huh!?' You are very confused.

'our fused souls,' he says simply.

'Oooh...' you stretch and then blurt out. 'I don't get it.'

'hehehe,' Sans chuckles softly. 'i'll try to explain.'

'ya see,' he begins his explanation. 'fused souls always were a huge blank spot for me, or for anyone, really.'

'ya can count on the fingers of one hand every mention 'bout them - and that includes me n' you, buddy,' his mental image jabs his finger at your - or, technically, his - chest and you twitch in surprise. He's never done something like that before. 'there's nothin' useful in old tales but describing a mix between monster and human as "a beast with unfathomable power", believe me, i've checked all of 'em.'

'Pfft,' you scoff, 'yeah, we definitely look like a huge, super strong beast.'

'maybe not, but it's not THAT far from the truth.' Once again you raise your brow, not quite catching what he's hinting at.

'well...' Sans hesitates for a bit. 'might as well share what i've noticed.'

Your companion starts to pace around while talking, 'first thing - magic pool. i don't have the tiniest of mana pools y'know but i can feel that it's definitely grown in size and refills very fast.'

'second thing - stamina. my body, uh... let's just say it's not in the best shape possible, and what ya managed to do - a long walk through the underground, then climbing down the mountain and then another long walk... it might not seem too impressive but it's definitely out of the norm.' He walks just like a normal person would yet he doesn't leave any traces in the snow.

'and last but not least - knowledge. now that's a tricky one. you and i both know... a lot. but somehow you learn things that ya didn't know at all really fast. too fast even. and i seem to understand some things i never understand before too.' That's so freaking weird! He's just like a ghost! Ghost of a skeleton... How weird is that!?

'if it isn't tied to the fusion of our souls then i have no idea what else could it possibly be.' He concludes and stops, waiting for your response.

You shake your head, all that staring had distracted you. Luckily you still got some of his speech. 'That... explains so much! You are so freaking smart!'

'heheh...' The little skeleton scratches back of his skull bashfully. 'nah, i'm just observant.'

'anyway, as i was sayin' before,' he turns serious, 'our world is like a book. a book full of letters, lines, pages and stuff. everythin' may move and change but there is also one constant that always remains the same. a place hidden behind matter that holds every page of time. we called it "the pocket-void".'

'and that's where we keep our blasters,' he informs you and you're already shivering with excitement. 'they're programmed to return there for rechargin' right after a successful blast.'

'That's seriously amazing!' You can't wait to try it out. 'Let me just find it real quick-'

'don't be too hasty,' Sans stops you with a heavy look. 'ya saw how dangerous these things are...'

You pout, 'I'm not a child and I can be careful.'

'i know and i trust you. i'm just sayn' that i should instruct you beforehand. you don't know how to use these things, do ya?' You nod, feeling ashamed of your previous reaction. "I'm not a child", geez... that's exactly what a child would say.

'it's fairly simple. ya have to aim it first, just like ya aim bone attacks and then... then you use the trigger.' Now there's a hint of mystery in his tone.

'Trigger?' you ask curiously.

'usually it's a codeword. you've heard papyrus' codeword - "blast" - and i have my own.' He stops, like he's waiting for your next question.

'And that would be...?' you ask again, though Sans' attitude smells of trickery.

'it's... now imagine a drum roll,' all you imagine is rolling your eyes, 'fart.'

'Excuse me?' You know Sans all too well and still there's a lingering hope that you might be mistaken in what you just heard.

'fart,' he repeats, grinning wider than ever.

'That's so ridiculous, skeletons can't even fart! Or can they...?' you think mostly to yourself.

Sans bursts into laughter in response to that thought.

'Why of course!' You try to shame him down with a stern look but gave up as a little snicker escapes you. 'You just can't resist trying to prank me again, can you?'

'seriously, this IS my codeword and, eh...' he shrugs,' i know s'childish and might not be my best joke ever, but i was much younger back when i came up with this.'

'Do you mean your jokes are better now?' you raise your brow, giving him a taunting smile.

'hey... sarcasm isn't funny,' he raises his brow bone back at you.

'Oops,' you backpedal. 'Didn't mean to offend you.'

'nah, don't worry. s'not that easy. after all nothin' gets under my _skin_ , 'cause i don't have any. in fact everythin' goes right _through_ me,' that little jokester winks at you, wearing one of his charming grins.

'Ugh, sorry, but I've heard that a thousand times by now.' You still chuckle however, relieved that he has no hard feelings towards you.

'old but gold, pal,' Sans replies calmly with his eyes closed. 'old but gold.'

'So I have to say this... word...' You cringe a little bit, 'out loud?'

'yep,' he nods. 'or, well, you can just think it loudly enough. it's 'cause you can trigger a blast even by thinkin' that it's so dangerous to just leave them floatin' around.'

'Ok, got it!' Now you're definitely ready for action.

'wait... one last thing,' Sans shifts uncomfortably and you sense that he is worried. 'be careful... ok? the pocket void might be unstable. god knows what can happen in there.'

'How come you don't know?' you ask, surprised. 'Didn't you, you know, study it before? Run experiments and all?'

'course but...' he frowns, 'i still don't know much. it's... complicated. that thing should stay the same in every timeline but it's just a theory at this point. so keep an eye socket out, a'right?'

You assure him that you'll be as careful as a saper on a minefield and concentrate, sending your mind to enter the void.

Fumbling in the darkness filled with flying letters you search for anything that might look unusual. Despite your previous gloating about figuring stuff out in a matter of minutes you spend hours trying to reach for that sneaky pocket-void and still you just can't seem to find it. It might be that this place is just too small or maybe you've picked the wrong spot or time but who knows? You don't know anything for sure and it turns out that Sans doesn't really know what's wrong either.

'sorry,' he looks at you apologetically after another failed attempt, 'i can't really explain how to reach it. it's different for everyone.'

You don't blame him, you have a feeling that you just aren't concentrating hard enough, looking past it every time you're close.

In a sense you were right. Just by making a lucky turn you finally manage to get to that mysterious location and only after your mind enters it you realize why you couldn't find it before. All this time it was right here and you could reach to it from anywhere, it's just very hard to see because your mind can hardly register the absolute absurdity of this place.

Trying to comprehend what's going on in here is not an easy task. Almost like asking a person who was born blind to understand what color is.

This place consists of nothing. An absence of anything at all, no light, no air, even the ubiquitous words aren't present in here. The only thing that seems to be in here is chaos, chaos that turns everything into a mess that's hard to look at. But even though it's chaotic, it somehow remains incredibly stable. Stable chaotic nothingness... Thinking about it hurts your head.

You shake off the initial shock and start to cautiously search around. The pocket void, true to its name, is rather small and empty, yet not completely empty, because soon enough you discover things like sheets of paper, pencils and bottles floating around without movement, like they're stuck in a freeze frame. Among this clutter you have found what you were searching for - a row of giant dragon skulls, all standing in a line like bullets in the clip, ready to fire away.

Gingerly you try to touch one of the blasters. It seems to be a right thing to do as the void around you melts away and you find yourself back in reality.

You blink few times, adjusting to the bright light, and look around.

'Wha- Where is it?' you move your head left and right, but there is nothing and no one around. 'Goddammit! I screwed up, didn't I?'

There's soft chuckling in a back of your head. 'just look up.'

You do as said and shudder, realizing that this giant thing was floating above you all along. You even chicken out a little, still wanting to test it out but not feeling as confident anymore.

Moving your hand, you try to control your new weapon, like Sans instructed you before. The skull obeys and flies a little bit forward just like you intended it to.

Carefully aiming the Gaster-Blaster at an already snowless spot you finally breathe out and push aside a tick of embarrassment to say, "fart."

Nothing happens.

'It didn't work... Why?' You give Sans a suspicious look but he looks confused too.

'it has to work...' his mental image is frowning, lost in thought. 'let me just...'

'fart,' he says and this time the blaster strikes immediately, forcing you to jolt and shut your eye sockets in surprise.

The faint smell of sulfur reaches your nose. You blink few times and shake your head to get rid of the ringing in your non-existent ears.

'fascinating... the recognition system is still functioning even at this st-' Sans mumbles thoughtfully, his accent completely gone.

Then he notices how awestruck you are right now and you sense that he's embarrassed, 'uh... sorry 'bout that.'

He was so enthusiastic just a moment ago, talking just like the scientist he used to be... somehow it makes you very happy and excited. 'Are you kidding me? That's so cool!'

'you're, uh, mixin' stuff up, buddy,' he let out an awkward chuckle. 'how can nerdy mumbo-jumbo be cool?'

'Ah, quit it! You can't fool me, I know you're smart and I think it's awesome!' Sans opens his jaw, about to say something but changes his mind and shuts it, resigning himself to just giving you a stiff shrug in response.

Seeing his reaction you cease your excitement. You hope you doesn't make him feel too uncomfortable with your sudden fit of fangirling.

'welp. let's call it a success...' he says slowly, after you both calm down. 'say... did you see anythin' else out there in the void?'

'Yes, actually. There are bunch of papers floating arou-' your thought ends abruptly. 'Oh my god, are those your notes from previous timelines!?'

'uh... probably?' he winces. 'i don't remember... but looks like it's time to find out.'

'Something tells me that it won't be fun...' You sigh. A bad feeling settles in your soul. 'Let's return to your home?'

Sans just shrugs again.

However, before teleporting to the skeleton's house you decide to check the door again, just to make sure it's safe to leave for now.

To both your relief and annoyance everything remains unchanged. It's calm and quiet, just like the door to the Ruins. A door so impassible, walls would envy it.

There's something comedically sad about this situation, where you can easily go through the barrier that has trapped generations of monsters inside of the mountain, as well as teleporting around in a matter of seconds and yet not being able to go past a simple chunk of stone.

That thought forces a crazy idea to burst in your mind and you deliver it to Sans, 'Why not just blow this thing up with blaster?'

Sans let out surprised, choked sound followed by laughter, 'my god, pal, ya sure have an _explosive_ personality.'

'But it would make things so much easier, wouldn't it!?' you ask, too excited and nervous to pay any attention to Sans' puns.

'probably, but it ain't gonna work,' he shake his head.

'Awww...' you stretch out, disappointed. 'Why? Have you tried it before?'

'ha-hah, no. no i haven't,' he answers, still chuckling, 'it's just that blasters aren't designed to bust massive, enchanted doors.'

'Huh? Then what is their purpose anyway?' Sans coughs uncomfortably at that question.

'Oh... Right.' You might not be the brightest person in the world but it's kind of obvious what weapons are made for.

Back at Sans' room you sit down and realize that it's getting dark already. You're not too tired but you are glad to be able relax for a bit. In a matter of body. Your mind still has a lot to do first.

Reaching out to the pocket void is easy-peasy now that you know where it is. One by one you gather the floating pieces of paper, occasionally throwing glances at the row of blasters while you have a chance to examine them in detail.

Sharp horns, acute edges, a bunch of pointy teeth, empty, furrowed eye sockets… these things looks as threatening as you can get. Each and every one of them is completely identical in both size and design, like copy and paste. One, two... twenty, twenty two... you lose count. How and why had they made so many of them...?

You blink and you're back to relatively normal reality, holding a stack of papers in your boney hands.

Sitting on the mattress you shuffle through the pages that are filled with handwriting even less readable than the documents back at the lab. Words like "missing"," repeats", "dead" catches your sight and you feel disgusting and very persistent chills crawling down your spine.

The familiar headache returns once again or - as you've begun to call it - "the memory pain", but as least it's not as bad this time.

Just as you expected, with every new page the emotions emanating from Sans are growing darker and darker. You are afraid to ask what exactly is written on these pages. You aren't sure you even want to know.

Minutes stacks into hours. Atmosphere in the room is so dark and intense like you slowly getting sucked into the center of a black hole. There are no sounds except for rustling of paper both in your hands and in the domestic tornado of trash.

The breaking point comes in the form of crumpled note, covered in red-ish stains that are presumably old ketchup and also in... dust.

'Don't sleep or it w-' You manage to read a few words but the rest is completely smudged.

'or it will get you...' Sans mutters, finishing the sentence. His voice is completely downtrodden. 'that's why i couldn't sleep... i didn't even remember why... i just... kept wakin' up...'

'd-dammit...' he curses in a shaky voice and that's it, you can't take this anymore.

'OK, that's ENOUGH bad memories for today!' you proclaim mentally, dropping the stack of papers on the floor to show that you're completely done with this crap.

Sans doesn't respond. He just stares into one spot, the pinpricks of light in his eye sockets barely visible, smile so unnatural and lifeless it's creepy and painful to look at. The single emotion you can feel from his soul is something shallow... like the echo down a vast, empty, long abandoned hallway.

'Look, Sans... I... I know I probably can't even understand what you and the others have been through,' Carefully you try to think up something that would pull your skeleton friend from crushing depths of depression, 'But don't forget that now you have the power to make things right. You saw the sunlight and together we might just be able to show the sun to every monster!'

'No matter how bad things were before... I'll do everything I can to prevent it from happening ever again. You have my word for it! So chin UP!' you think firmly, but after looking at his lifeless image your soul sinks a little too.

'Please...?' you plead with him quietly.

Sans lets out a deep sigh and blinks, some of the brightness returning to his eye lights. Slowly, he seems to come back to life from being a hollow statue of himself.

After few more minutes of thinking he chuckles weakly, 'your positivity is somethin' out there...'

You feel so much relief you could collapse but choose not to do so.

'Don't you know that being sad is bad for your _skin?_ You want to look pretty, right?' you tease him, hoping it would cheer him up at least a little bit.

Sans chuckles again, managing to put a little bit more energy into it this time. 'sure.'

As you're chatting with Sans and trying to brighten up his mood, the door creaks as it opens slightly, immediately gaining your attention.

"SANS. ARE YOU HERE?" Papyrus peeks inside. His voice is still quite loud but not as much usual, like he's attempting to whisper. "YOU HAVEN'T READ ME A BEDTIME STORY FOR DAYS... CAN YOU PLEASE DO IT TODAY?"

"Oh..." You stand up. "Of course. And, uh.. sorry for the delay."

"THAT'S OKAY!" he beams, shouting. "I'LL BE WAITING IN MY ROOM!"

The thin silhouette disappears from the crack and you hear energetic stomping as Papyrus runs to his room. You feel a swell of affection for this boney cinnamon bun.

'Um, Sans... You don't mind me reading to him, do you?' you ask carefully, considering that it might be something too personal between the brothers.

'no, no.' He shakes his head dismissively. 'bro loves his stories and he definitely needs somethin' positive after what happened earlier so if ya, uh, don't mind...'

'Pfft, "don't mind..."' you mock him in a friendly way. 'I would love to!'

'heh. that's... nice of you.' His words seem genuine and it makes you happy.

Papyrus meets you at his door frame, excitedly shouting something about him waiting forever to hear a story. His room looks exactly like you imagined it based on a game... except real. A mix between cool, goofy and weird with a flaming carpet, racecar bed, collection of toys or, as he calls them, "action figures", all the good stuff. For a moment you feel like you are a kid in Disneyland, that's how wonderful and surreal it is to actually be in Papyrus' room.

The taller brother closes the door behind you and quickly jumps into the bed, tucking the blankets around his body, turning himself into a giant burrito. Even in a bed he's wearing his "battle body", but in addition to it there's the most adorable nightcap you have ever saw - it even has a dangling fluffy pompom - resting on top of his head.

This ball of adorableness stares at you with one of his innocent smiles and your soul can barely handle such an overload of cuteness. You can almost feel its sugary coating.

It's unbelievable what these monsters do to you. How can skeletons even be so cute? Your guess is that they are just way too nice and cartoony to be off-putting. Well, at least when they aren't deliberately trying to be menacing.

"So, what story would you like to hear today?" you ask, fighting the strange urge to tug on his pom-pom.

"HMM..." he ponders for a bit. "YOU PICK THE ONE YOU'RE GOING TO READ. SURPRIZE ME!"

"Okay." You stroll to the bookshelf and take a look at the multicolored book covers. Looks like they are all arranged by genre, and then alphabetically. Your gaze lingers on the few books about fluffy bunny and you pick a random one. The one you've got is titled "Hide-and-seek with Fluffy Bunny". It sounds good enough for you and you're about to roll with this pick when you hear Sans groan.

'Is something wrong?' you ask carefully.

'uh... no. s'nothin',' he answers, though he clearly seems bothered by something.

'Okay...?' You feel conflicted but decide that standing here and trying to nudge him to talk would be too long and too suspicious.

"WHAT DID YOU PICK?" Papyrus asks, bouncing excitedly on the bed.

"OH. THIS ONE," he says after you show him the cover. "I... THOUGHT YOU DISLIKED IT...?"

That's weird. Why would Sans dislike this children's story? Though it's kind of late to go back on your pick. "Well, why not spice things up a bit?"

"I'M NOT SURE IF THAT WAS A PUN OR NOT..." He looks at you suspiciously but just for a few seconds. "ANYWAY! I HAVEN'T HEARD THIS STORY IN A WHILE SO I'M GLAD YOU WANT TO READ IT!"

You sit down on the edge of the racecar bed and open the book. The gentle rustling of pages combined with the smell of paper and ink gives you a sudden sense of nostalgia. You briefly wonder why and a faint idea comes to mind - you think that you liked to read books before. You can even name a few titles but you can't remember more than that. Having almost no memories about yourself is so odd... You don't even know if you should care because it's kinda hard to care about something you know nothing about.

Shaking your head helps to snap out of your reminiscence, or lack thereof, and return your attention to the book.

"Little fluffy bunny hopping down the hill

Where his little brother? Oh where could he be?

Maybe in the bushes? Maybe under tree?

He searched everywhere but couldn't find him still"

You read, trying to add some emotions to Sans' rumbly voice so it would sound fun for Papyrus. You aren't sure if it's working as you keep stuttering because the rhyming is kind of strange.

"The forest is so spooky and skies are turning gray

The sun is setting down and this is very bad

Somewhere in the forest he is alone and sad

He surely got in trouble while Fluffy slept all day"

You begin to realize why Sans is not particularly fond of this book.

The tale of two bunnies is as captivating as any children's story, which is nothing to be amazed about, but Papyrus seem to enjoy it greatly. He's clutching to the blankets and making excited noises each time something remotely tense happens with the little heroes.

You only got into it when fluffy brothers were attacked by hungry wolf and saved by - of all things - a talking flower... A freaking talking flower! Reading that made you both curious and very uncomfortable, but it's even worse for Sans, who shuts himself off from you completely, pretending he isn't here.

"The end." You read the last two words and close the book. Looking up you barely hold yourself back from saying "Awwwww" out loud, because Papyrus fell asleep, sprawled in a nest of blankets like a big bony bird. Seeing him sleeping is just a little bit too much cuteness. Eleven on scale out of ten.

Sans reappears as soon the story ends, now looking at his brother fondly, warmly and a little bit worriedly, 'just look at 'im snorin' away... exhausted himself tryin' to impress me. usually, he doesn't sleep at all and now he didn't even held till the end of the story.'

'he's the best...' The proud brother informs you with a deep sigh and you can't help but agree.

You're about to go back to Sans' room when he calls out to you, 'hey, actually, i wanna ask you to do somethin'.'

'I mean... It's your body after all, so I'll do whatever you say.' You shrug in response.

'it's nothing major, really,' he assures you, 'i just wanna send a pun to paps. it's our little tradition.'

You snort, 'I don't think he appreciates your effort.'

'nah, i'm sure he does. even if he's not showing it.' Sans shrugs. But 'i don't need much in return anyway.'

'Okay, so, how I do that?' you ask, putting the book back on the shelf.

'just use his computer over there,' Sans' mental image points at the computer in the corner of the room and you praise the night vision for being able to see even without any light sources.

'Should I though...?' You hesitate for a bit. 'It's his personal thing.'

'nah, don't worry.' He waves his hand dismissively. 's'not like we're going to read anythin'. just shoot him an anon message and that's it.'

'Well, if you say so...' It's so weird to hear modern slang from a magical creature. You aren't sure you'll ever be able to get used to it.

'c'mon, lighten up, bucko.' Sans nudges you. 'it'll be fun.'

You quietly get to the computer, trying to not wake Paps' up and browse the monsters counterpart of the internet by following Sans' instructions. The computer seems rather old or so says some fuzzy memories of yours, like you're used to something more advanced. You share this observation with Sans.

'yeah,' he agrees, 'most of technology down 'ere comes from the aboveground. long fall, water and initial garbage condition… well, let's say s'hard to glue together things more complex than a spoon. so we are far behind you humans.'

'but hey, 'least we managed to build somethin'. it's so much easier to... um… to do stuff with computers… than without 'em.' Sans definitely hides something from you again.

You are not amused by this but choose to ignore his evasiveness for now. 'Everything's set, what should I send?'

'hmm... lemme see…' Sans thinks for a bit. 'oh, here's a good one. he'll love it.'

'where does spaghetti go to dance?' he asks with a grin and you look at him with a silent question in your expression.

'the meat _ball_ ' he answers, emphasizing the punch line by giving you a wink. You snicker at that silly pun and type it away.

Boney fingers clank softly against keyboard keys, shining faintly in the dim glow of the computer screen. Sitting in front of the computer feels so bizarre in this situation. You are in the body of a magical monster in the underground kingdom of magical monsters and yet here's a computer powered by electricity. So weird.

Not so long ago you would sit in front of your own computer, reading, chatting and playing games. Games like Undertale... The worst of your troubles probably were exams or a grumpy boss at work and now... Now everything is complicated beyond measure.

'heheh, good.' Sans' voice knocks you out of your recurrent reflecting. 'and for a final move use comic sans. you can prolly tell that's my favorite font.'

'What?' You stare at his mental image in shock. 'You actually know that your name is based on a font!?'

'yeah, heh, i do. and papyrus' name too. apparently our parents had a fun taste in namin' and y'know what? i'm actually pretty _font_ of this name,' he chuckles. 'without it i wouldn't have found my talent for comedy.'

'Pff... ahahah!' You laugh silently at the sheer absurdity of this statement.

'heheh. yeah. when i found out that there's a font called "comic sans" i was laughin' just like you right now, for at least a week,' he shares his "true story" with you. 'after that i actually tried comedy out for myself and here i am. cracking jokes all day every day.'

'Wow…' you recall something that impressed you back when you played the game. 'Astronomy, cooking, music, comedy... You sure are a person of many interests.'

'heh...' his shoulders drop slightly, just a hint of movement, but his emotions are what give him away entirely. Sans is feeling down again. 'you would try anything to make your life feel less dull and meaningless too...'

'Oh...' You shift uncomfortably on the computer chair.

'ugh. sorry. hate to be a _buzz_ killer... poor _bees_ have done nothin' wrong.' The little sad skeleton attempts to fix the mod by making a rather strange joke.

You shake your head, letting out a small sigh. 'It's okay Sans. I understand you…'

'Hmm…' You hum thoughtfully. The shadow of a thought is tingling in the back of your mind, like something's just not adding up and that seems to bother you.

'Wait... how can you be named after a font if these fonts were created just recently...?' your eye sockets go round as a silly idea comes to your mind. 'Don't tell me that you're, like, sixteen years old!'

'hehehe, no, i'm not a teenager. but, uh, where did ya get that idea from?' he asks curiously. 'as far as i know these fonts have existed for a couple hundred years.'

'A couple... what now?' You can't believe what you just heard.

'a couple hundred... of years…' Sans repeats slowly, throwing worried glances at you.

'I'm sorry, but... WHAAAT!?' You don't want to believe him it looks like you have no other choice.

What the hell...' You freak out as unsettling thoughts race inside of your mind. 'Am I in the future? Was I unconscious or in some sort of purgatory for a few decades? The heck is going on?!'

Something breaks inside of you and you let out a quiet whimper, curling into yourself on the chair. Your mind and soul hurt, and you don't know what to think anymore. Why don't you remember anything? What happened to your human body? Will you be able to go back?

Is there anything or anyone left to go back to…?

There are so many questions that were swimming underneath the thin ice of more urgent problems but now they have broken both the ice and your mind as they reached the surface, scraping your soul with sharp edges, threatening to drive you insane from how alone and helpless you suddenly feel.

Except... you are not alone.

You sense something rising deep in your soul. Like a faint breeze brushing against your face, like a gentle hand patting your back, like the soothing sound of falling rain.

It's Sans, trying to calm you down.

'hey…' he is here, kneeling in front of you to look into your face, so incredibly real and yet so illusory. 'i know these feelings. i know 'em better than you can imagine. but don't let them get to you.'

'What in a world am I supposed to do…?' you mumble desperately, not really expecting an answer. 'I don't know how long I can take all of this…'

Sans sighs heavily. 'it's tempting to just give up, i know… i know...'

'but… can ya do me a favor… please?' You nod slowly.

'don't give up, okay?' You would love to but it's so hard right now.

He sighs again, sensing your emotions, 'we're kind of in a same situation, aren't we?'

'yeah… heh.' He laughs bitterly at his own thoughts. 'yet we are not the same.'

'cause you're stronger than me, which is, uh, to be expected from a human, but you're also so much better and so much more positive than me… don't let anything break ya, pal.' Your monster friend looks you right in the eyes and tells you firmly, 'please, stay determined.'

How quickly tables have turned. Less than a hour ago you helped Sans overcome the ever-growing emptiness in his soul and now he's trying to do the same for you. He cares about you after all.

This realization, the encouraging emotions that he sends to you, his kind and sincere words, all of this chases the misery away from you, pulling you away from your state of desperation.

'T-thank you…' you send him a thankful thought so he'll know that you're not going to give up just yet. 'You are... way too kind to me…'

'heh, well, that's in my selfish interest too, 'cause your optimism and determination feels great around my soul. i think i'm gettin' addicted to it.' Sans can't or doesn't even want to hide that he's glad that you're feeling better but he's still trying to make a joke out of it.

'but seriously… don't let yourself sink to my level… it's dark and terrible down 'ere,' he looks sad for a moment, but then you notice a playful glint in his eye sockets. 'no movies, no popcorn and also it smells like old socks.'

You snicker quietly. 'You can't ever be serious.'

'sometimes it happens but i'm workin' on it.' He winks at you.

Pushing aside problems you can't find solution to just yet, and deliberately ignoring the sinking feeling that you might never be able to, you decide to ask something that Sans must know for sure.

'Um... Can you tell me how old you really are?' It's kind of a rude question to ask but you're way too curious to stop yourself.

'well, if ya need to know...' Sans scratches his skull with one finger.

'my memories are kinda fuzzy but let's say 'bout two hundred years...? probably less than that though. ' You feel like the solid ground beneath your feet has started to float away. Good thing you're sitting right now. 'uh… is somethin' wrong?'

'But how can you be so o... ahem,' you correct yourself, 'I mean, I had a suspicion that humans don't necessarily live as long as monster, but hundreds of years!?'

'well… ya saw asgore. does he seem so ancient to ya?' You think for a moment, then shake your head dismissively. 'he and a couple of other monsters lived on the surface thousand years ago and they're all still kickin'.

'hell, they are more lively than me and i'm a little boy compared to any of 'em,' he shrugs in carefree manner. 'for us, monsters, soul is everythin'. and depending on their soul, a monster can live just a mere few days or as long as they don't grow tired of livin'.'

'Monsters are weird,' you think for the umpteenth time since you have gotten to the Underground and god knows how many times you'd had that thought before that.

'heh. i could say the same 'bout humans. at least judgin' by you,' Sans says, one eye closed in a sly expression.

'Can't say I don't agree with you,' you chuckle silently.

Incredibly exhausted from everything that happened today you finally hit "send" on the message that Sans asked you to write, eliminate any hints of your tinkering with Papyrus' computer and leave to have your well-deserved rest.


	15. Downtown

Something wakes you up in the morning, though at first you don't understand what exactly. Grumbling sleepily, you try to go back into the land of dreams, when you hear a loud sigh right outside of Sans' room. The presence behind the door is very persistent. So persistent in fact, that you can't relax not knowing what the hell is going on out there.

"Ugh…" you groan, standing up and shuffle to the door, rubbing drowsiness away from your eye sockets.

To your surprise all this noise is caused by Papyrus. Not like there should be anyone else in this house but you still didn't expect to see him shifting from leg to leg, while letting out theatrically loud sighs.

"OH, HI. YOU'RE AWAKE..." He notices you and gives you an awkward hand wave. "THAT'S GREAT."

"What's up?" you ask worriedly, while trying to remember how to smile when you're still half asleep.

"NOTHING MUCH." The tall skeleton lets out one of those loud sighs again. "I JUST..."

"I MEAN, NO. NOT I!" His mood swings in the opposite direction. " **THEY** MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG! BECAUSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NEVER WRONG!"

'What in the world is he talking about...?' you think, staring at him in confusion.

'looks like my bro screwed up the taxes again,' answers the tired voice in the back of your head. ' can't blame 'im for that, this stuff is confusin' as heck.'

'Papyrus... doing taxes...? REALLY!?' This just can't settle in your head.

'yep,' Sans replies simply as an illusion of him appears out of thin air and leans against a wall.

'And you allowed that? I mean...' You throw a quick glance at Papyrus, who unsurprisingly hasn't noticed the second copy of his brother. 'Paps is a great guy and all but his head seems to be a liiittle bit up in the clouds.'

'well... even though he makes mistakes from time to time, he's actually better at this than you might think,' he shrugs. 'sides, he wanted to do it. and if my brother's happy, then i'm happy too.'

While you're stuck in a mental conversation with Sans, Papyrus keeps on ranting about how great, fair and just he is, "I'LL DEAL WITH THEM AND PUT EVERYTHING TO JUSTICE! YOU'LL SEE!"

Suddenly, his chest "deflates" a little, "BUT FOR NOW WE ARE... KIND OF... OUT OF CURRENCY..."

'And what am I supposed to do?' you ask as you aren't even sure if you'll need the money or not. It may be that you and Sans are stuck in this timeline for a while but there's an equal possibility that you will have to reset in a couple of hours... Both scenarios are unsettling in their own way.

'don't worry 'bout it. we can pick up my salary for the sentry jobs at the bank,' Sans assures you.

That settles you for now. Having a plan to follow is always better than complete uncertainty.

Papyrus still looks at you, awaiting your response, and something clicks in your head as you come up with a silly joke.

You reach out to pat his shoulder, "I'll be your calculator."

"A... WHAT?" He gives you a puzzled look.

"You can count on me." You're about to wink but faster than you can even react you're being lifted and spun around.

"OF COURSE I WILL COUNT ON YOU, BROTHER! AND YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON ME TOO!" He places you back on the ground and you stumble, feeling disoriented and dizzy.

'ahahah. well i'll be damned.' Sans howls with laughter, 'you oughta be careful, pal. you're on such a good _food_ with my bro that i might get _jelly_.'

'Uhh... Sorry?' You're still a little bit confused.

'heh. relax. i'm kiddin',' the jokester says, smiling calmly at you.

Meanwhile, Papyrus wanders down the stairs, shouting, "I'M OFF TO TRAIN WITH UNDYNE! WHEN I BECOME A PART OF THE ROYAL GUARD, SOMETHING LIKE THIS WILL NEVER OCCUR AGAIN! COINS WILL POUR ON US LIKE GOLDEN RAIN! NYEH HEH HEH!"

You shake your head, gathering your thoughts and think, 'So monsters have taxes and banks too, huh...'

'where'd ya think we keep our gold? in s _now_ banks? heh.' he throws away a lazy joke. 'why's that surprising to ya?'

'It's not really surprising it's more...' you try to came up with a fitting word, 'boring.'

He snickers, 'can't say i disagree with that.'

As the red scarf disappears behind the front door you ask, 'So where can I find a bank?'

'at the capital.' The little skeleton answers you with his eyes closed and it looks like he's about to doze off.

'Oh... Wow!" You're getting excited. "I have never seen the capital before! Only the tops of the buildings, sooo... you will have to guide me through it."

'huh...' Sans hums thoughtfully and you wonder what's on his mind.

'i... uh... always use shortcuts to the bank. haven't actually walked there in a while,' he rubs the back his skull. 'guess we're in for a stroll.'

The thought of Sans moving mainly by using teleportation is both funny and kind of sad but let's face it... who wouldn't do that on his place?

You definitely can't resist the temptation.

A quick shortcut leads you to the MTT resort. Hopefully you can use that one elevator you never got a chance to use before, because it was broken in the game, as it appears to be the only way to the capital. Well, for those who can't fly.

As you walk past the fountain - which is fixed now and doesn't spew water on the floor - you hear a somewhat familiar voice coming out of the fast-food corner, " _DARLING, I WARNED YOU ABOUT THE COFFEE ALREADY. YOU HAVE TO STOP DRINKING IT OR YOU'LL SCARE OFF ALL THE CUSTOMERS!"_

Your curiosity perks up. Could it be everybody's favorite sexy rectangle himself? You want to take a look but before you get a chance to do anything Sans warns you, 'you might wanna move along. if he sees us he'll definitely ask why i missed my scheduled performance. angry robots might be hilarious for me but i don't think you'd like to experience his scolding.'

You can't help but agree that it isn't really your type of fun. Especially if chainsaws are involved... A tiny shiver slips down your spine as your mind eagerly reminds you of that moment out of the game. If only it was as helpful with all of the other memories too...

Luckily the elevator seems to be working just fine and you hop into it before Mettaton gets a chance to spot you.

The low and kind of menacing hum of machinery plays with your nerves, reminding you of Alphys' secret laboratory. It feels like forever but finally, with a saving ring of bells, the doors open up and you're drowned in the loud sounds of the city.

'Wow...' you breathe out, standing in the doorway, looking up at the tall buildings that are rising up to the cave ceiling. A literal _downtown_ hidden underneath the mountain.

As you marvel the achievements of monster architects the elevator closes automatically in front of your face. You snap out and huff, pushing the button to open the doors again.

Stepping outside you find yourself on the ornate plates of a round square. Everything around you is practically brimming with city life. Monsters of all kinds and sizes are walking or flying by, minding their own business. Some are shouting and waving their... whatever they have, calling customers to their shops, some are standing or sitting on the rock-carved benches while chatting with each other.

The thing that drew most of your interest is a figure in the center. A huge, roughly made stone statue of a two-headed dragon with one head on a neck and another one at the end of the tail.

You walk past a cute cat monster couple nuzzling on a bench up to the statue and read the tablet that is attached to its base. It says: " _May the light of your soul guide you through the darkest of times. Segron Tuwise._ "

'Who is this?' you ask curiously, studying the cool-looking dragon. You notice that it appears to have four wings and some sort of sphere in a clawed paw. 'A previous monster king?'

'kinda,' Sans answers, appearing near you. 'old stories claim that they were the very first monster, ancestor to all of us, but i can't tell for sure.'

You eagerly nod a few times, checking in another theory to ponder in your spare time and decide that if Sans doesn't remember where to go, then you might as well choose a direction yourself.

As you travel along the street that you had chosen, you can't help being amazed by just how weird everything around you is.

Old-fashioned buildings - that look like they belong in paintings by medieval artists and yet feel like they are freshly built - are dazzling with neon lights, some weird and probably magical decorations and all sorts of MTT posters and advertisements.

Dozens of strange monsters are walking by or looking out of the windows and balconies, none of which you recognize from actually being Underground or even from the game. Slimes, elementals, animals, insects, some weird indescribable monstrosities... So many just on on one small street! You swear you have never seen more than ten monsters in one place at a time before.

Your gaze darts around, studying the unusual surroundings and odd creatures as your mind greedily absorbs new information. Your soul flutters inside of your chest, filled with the adventurous joy of exploration.

'you seem impressed,' Sans hums, most likely noticing your emotions.

'Huh, yeah, I am! This city looks beautiful! If not for the cave ceiling and colorful locals I would think I ended up in Italy!' You share your thoughts excitedly.

'You... know what Italy is... right?' he just chuckles in response so you switch the subject, 'And damn there are a lot of you guys down here! Do you even count your population?'

'heh, we do, actually,' he chuckles. 'there were 'bout twenty thousand of us last time around and that's not counting the ruins 'cause, y'know, the only door leadin' there is closed.'

You let out surprised whistle. That's a lot of people to be trapped underground like this…

Your eyes catch a glimpse of a familiar figure. It's Sans, who is following you like he's just up for a casual walk. Hands in pockets, seemingly lazy grin on his face, though right now it's kind of genuine, as far as you can feel from him anyway.

It's tempting to try and poke him and see what would happen or just stare at him some more, analyzing how he moves - like how he phases through other monsters, not being bothered by this in the slightest - but you dismiss these ideas because they are just too rude, concentrating on looking for a bank.

You've spent almost an hour wandering down the streets, taking a break only to check the door to the Ruins again, when you stumbled upon the most beautiful thing you have ever seen - the monster city aquarium. A giant hemisphere made out of glass or something similar, full of water and the aquatic monsters who live in there.

Glowing jellyfish illuminate the area covered in a tall, green kelp forest as some marine monsters lazily chew on this underwater grass with thoughtful expressions, creating very pretty and surreal image.

A rocky path leads deeper into a tiny village for smaller water citizens. Some crab-looking dude sweeps the road with an improvised broom, hoisting whirls of gravel which seem to wake up a sleeping seahorse, who throws these pebbles back at him. A shoal of colorful porpoises dart near the wall you stand at, playing catch-up by circling around a colossal striped snake. The snake is so big that the poor guy can barely move in there, taking up a quarter of the entire aquarium.

As you come a little closer, a baby turtle swims out of the seaweed bushes and leans against the transparent wall, looking at you curiously. The kid is so adorable in a striped shirt worn over the shell that you can't resist giving them a wave. They giggle, releasing a cloud of bubbles and wave back at you with their little fin. After that the reptile child performs a playful backflip and disappears in the direction they came from.

'These monsters deserve to swim freely in the ocean.' You think firmly to yourself. 'Not crowded in this glass jar!'

The city is not that big after all and with Sans' hints you find yourself in front of a building labeled "Bank" sooner than you'd actually wanted.

The building is a lot smaller than local skyscrapers but it's certainly not any less interesting in appearance. Yellow walls covered in curvy tracery, windows with carved frames and a few elegant columns that stand at the entrance. Not too shabby.

'fancy, huh?' You turn your attention to Sans and nod in agreement.

'It looks somewhat familiar... I can't tell if it's classicism or some different style, though.' Not that you're an expert in architecture but you can definitely appreciate something beautiful.

'it's, as i always say, if it ain't baroque - don't fix it.' Sans winks at you.

"Pffft- Ahahaha!" You can't hold back a laugh. 'Okay, that was a clever pun.'

'i'm here all week,' the funny skeleton bows jokingly.

'Actually, I need you right now.' You cease your giggling with a cough. 'What exactly should I do?'

'well... just go forward and say that you're here to pick up your payment. maurice, the royal treasurer, is, uh...' Sans hesitates for a bit. 'let's just say he doesn't really like me but hopefully we'll catch 'im in a good mood.'

Not a terribly informative answer but maybe it would be enough.

You push the door open and enter a hall decorated in a bunch of different shades of green. Emerald granite on walls and the floor, malachite vases stand in rows near every wall, a few decorative pillars that are littered with gemstones or very convincing imitations. Even the air faintly smells like green grass.

There's a few tables at different corners of the hall but you do as Sans said and go forward towards a grayish, rodent-looking monster.

"Welcome." You're greeted by a business lady standing at her desk. She's wearing a bright green costume and hot-pink glasses, a combination that manages to hurt both your sight and your sense of fashion. "Royal cashier Arice at your service."

"Sorry, but I thought Maurice-?" You attempt to ask but she interrupts you.

"Ah, yes, I'm replacing him. He is still here in case something goes wrong, but nothing will go wrong." Someone scoffs just behind the corner. You can't see them but judging by the sound it's someone massive. Arice flickers her ear in annoyance and continues, "I can assure you of that."

"You are Sans, right?" You give a stiff nod in agreement, having a feeling of mild discomfort.

She picks up a folder full of documents and reads through some of them, eliciting an unpleasant scratching sound by sliding her little clawed finger down the papers, "Sentry of three stations in Snowdin, Waterfall and Hotland respectively."

"I see, I see..." Arice looks down at you through her tiny pink glasses. She's merely a few inches higher than you are but you still feel a lot smaller, shifting underneath her cold, analyzing gaze. "My boss informed me about you. I have strict instructions regarding your payment."

You give her a puzzled look and she responds by pulling one of the papers out of the folder and showing it to you.

What's written there makes you choke in indignation: " _Don't give any money to that lazy_ _fool._ "

"B-but-" She cuts off your protest with a quick gesture of her tiny paw.

"That's it. Now excuse me, for I have to go." She hides the documents and blurts before going away. "Have a good day."

You're speechless. You can't remember monsters ever being so rude. Except maybe Jerry, though you thought it's the rock bottom. Turned out there can be worse.

"Tsk." You let out a sound of irritation. 'So much for a "good day"...'

'heh. well... that had to happen eventually.' Even if Sans is upset about this situation he doesn't give you any hints about it. 'don't worry, pal. we'll think of somethin'.'

You sigh and turn around. Your mood is far from great but if Sans doesn't want to make a scene then so do you. Maybe walking around the streets some more will cheer you both up.

On your way to the exit you pass near one of the pillars and at that moment someone grabs you by the jacket sleeve. You barely hold back an indignant squeal of fear.

"Pssst... Over here!" To your surprise you hear Arice whisper as she tugs on the fabric of your clothes. When you turn around you see her gesturing to you with a head motion, "Quickly!"

You join her reluctantly and shift your brow in a silent question. What could she want from you?

"Look, I'm sorry about all... that." The hamster monster, or at least you think she's a hamster, doesn't look so haughty anymore. She's shifting from paw to paw, looking around nervously. "I had to do it."

"I've done my research..." Arice coughs and adjusts her glasses. "While you do man too many stations at once, are often missing from your post and sleep on your job, you still never got caught slacking off by official inspection..."

"And while it's not an excuse!" She looks pointedly at you. "Still... There's no incidents while you are on the watch. Of course, it might be coincidence, but I'd risk saying that you are good at your job after all."

"But that's my... and my boss,' she scrunches the bridge of her nose, 'Maurice... He thinks that you need to learn a lesson. And I have to disagree with that. There's no need to punish someone who does his job well enough. And so drastically too..."

"He didn't even consult with the king! I'm sure king Asgore wouldn't approve that! Oh..." She hushes herself and sneaks a look behind the pillar.

Contented by the lack of bosses sprinting towards her to bust whatever she's planning to do, Arice continues, "Now I know he's probably thinking that it's for the best... but! I'm working here now, not him, so... I've decided that you deserve this."

"Here," nimble paws fish out and hand you a jingling sack, "But please, keep it between the two of us."

"Um... Thank you." You smile, accepting the purse. "For giving, uh... me... a chance."

"Ah, that's my pleasure, really." Arice smiles back at you, but just for a split second and then she suddenly looks like a cold business lady again. "Still, I have to warn you. You have to treat your job more responsibly."

"Do not tempt my fath-" she coughs and corrects herself, "Your fate, again."

You just nod, unsure of what you can say to that, considering your situation. **  
**

Once out of the bank, you take a deep breath and laugh, 'Ha-hah! Welp, my faith in monsters is successfully restored!'

'heh, ' Sans laughs too. 'i saw it in her expression, that she doesn't want to cut me off like that. still wasn't expecting that she'd give us some money though.'

'Yeeah, that was a pleasant surprise...' You stretch out and switch the subject. 'Say, can we walk around a bit more? I want to see aaall of the capital before we go back!'

'uh... sure,' Sans shrugs as usual, 'go on ahead.'

A few more streets are left behind, explored down to every little corner. You feel so energized and positive, shoving your nose - or lack thereof - around every corner. You even peeked at few windows but stopped after a pink slime lady asked if you needed anything in her house. It was pretty embarrassing.

At least you have the decency not to search through the trash cans - a habit that always plagued your gaming experience.

Walking past some stores, you study the assortment of weird and probably magical items displayed in the windows. Glowing medallions, plates with moving ornaments, colorful balls that jump around on their own. What's any of this for...?

"Ai-yai!" You hear a yelp of surprise as you bump into something big and soft.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," you mumble apologetically, trying to figure out if you've done any harm to the victim of your carelessness.

The person in front of you seems okay if not a little bit startled. It turned out to be a big chicken woman in a bright and colorful dress. Every part of her body that isn't hidden by the fabric is covered in dark brown and white speckled feathers.

"No need to worry, dear. I too not was paying attention to where I was going," she chatters with some sort of a weird accent, smiling warmly at you and you're glad that she doesn't seem to be mad.

"Khoo... " The bird monster lets out a thoughtful cluck and gives you a lingering, analyzing stare. "Wait! I do know you...?"

You sense a sudden wave of emotion from Sans that you interpret as "Oh crap".

'uh...' He's about to say something but the woman acts first.

"Oh goodness!" Her eyes widen and she flaps her wing-like hands excitedly. "Sans! It's you! It's really you!"

In a blink of an eye you're pulled up and pressed against a soft chest of a huge chicken monster in a tight - almost bone-crushing - hug. It feels like someone's trying to gently suffocate you with a pillow.

Sneezing from the feathers that are trying to stuff themselves into your nose hole and keeping your eye sockets closed so they won't share the same fate, you ask in confusion, 'Sans? Care to explain what's going on? Who even is this person?'

Your illusive buddy sighs and blurts out reluctantly. 'raybahen. she is... she was our nanny...'

'Nanny...?!' Well that's quite unexpected.

"I from you in ages haven't heard! You simply have to visit me! Come, come!" And she just carries you in her arms like you're a small baby that weighs nothing, while no one on the street seems to notice this broad daylight kidnapping.

What even is this day? A "pick-up-Sans" day!?


	16. In skeleton's closet

A few minutes of chicken riding brings you to the small cottage. Your abductor finally places you back on the ground and you try to restore some dignity back by straightening your clothes and flicking away a feather that got stuck to your shoulder.

"So, Rah… Ray… " you attempt to start a conversation but stutter on the weird name, "Raybahen…?"

"Ah, please," the big chicken makes a wry face - as much as she can anyway, with a beak for a mouth, "No need to be all formal. Just call me Hannie, like in old good times!"

"Let's go inside and talk over a cup of juice!" She gestures for you to follow her and waddles down the trail set in something that looks like moss lawn.

You aren't exactly sure you want to do that and Sans' behavior isn't helping. He is gloomy, silent and certainly not eager to join his ex-nanny for a conversation.

'Not really up for it, are you?' you ask him carefully and he nods in response. 'Should I teleport us out of here then?''

He contemplates for a moment and groans with a tick of irritation, 'just... go there.'

You shrug and comply without further questions, though some explanations would be really nice right about now.

Surrounded by the high-rise buildings Hannie's home draws attention like a tooth fallen out of a smile. Its roof is covered with red shingles while the walls are composed of random rocks fit together like puzzle pieces, alienating this house even further from the local skyscrapers made out of smooth, symmetrical brick and tile.

As you come closer you find the reason for Sans' reluctant attitude. Your soul is heavy in your chest as you read the plate above the door:

" _Monster's Orphanage_ ".

Orphans... Sans and Papyrus are orphans...

"Ah yes!" Hannie exclaims, startling you out of your thoughts. "You yet to know that I got visited by the king and he made my home an official orphanage! I was so happy to know that no one would destroy my house to build one of these big and ugly... things... Also now caring for children is my work for which I got paid. It's like a dream come true!"

"Though this name..." The wattles underneath her beak sway back and forth as she shakes her head in disapproval. "King Asgore - may the sun shine upon him - always was lousy at names and couldn't even made an exception for the poor children!"

"Nanny-Hannie? You came back already?" asks the little pink nose peeking out of the open window. Whoever is standing there seems to be really short. "Who is this with you?"

"Mollie!" Raybahen flaps her wings excitedly. "Say hello to Sans! Today he's our guest."

A purple paw with big, long claws waves at you. "Hello, Sans."

"Um... Hi." You wave back.

What a meaningful conversation.

"Come on in, be a dear!" Hannie opens the door and practically pushes you inside of the house.

As you're being led through the hallway you take in the surroundings of a cozy country cottage in the middle of the city. Everything is decorated in warm brown, yellow and orange tones, with potted plants, wooden furniture and soft carpets hanging on the walls, covering the dark, rough stone. Walking past one of the rooms you peek inside to see a bunch of toys scattered across the floor, more potted plants, and three empty beds standing in a row along the wall.

That's when a sudden spasm of the "memory pain" strikes you again.

'Is Sans remembering something from his life in here...?' comes the thought.

However you have no time to ask about that. While you rub your skull, trying to lessen the pain, a small, mole-looking girl in a striped shirt and a skirt darts out of the room to meet you.

"Look! Look! This is king Waffles!" She's holding a big plushie - well, big for her anyway - that appears to be a mix between a crocodile and a poodle. "He's not king of waffles though, but he is the king of pillows!"

"And this is Mi-mi!" The little figurine flashes in front of your face but you fail to take a good look at it as energetic child quickly hides it away. "She's suuuper pretty, ya dig?"

Not waiting for your response she tugs on your sleeve, "Come play with me! You can have king Waffles and I will be your and Mi-mi's mother! And I will be the best and I will never leave and I will love you both so, so much!"

"Mollie, sweetie," Raybahen says softly to her pupil, "Me and Sans need to talk. Be a good girl and play alone for now. I promise we'll play outside together in a bit."

"Oh alriiight," the small one whines with a sigh. "But... let me tell him something real quick!"

"Do you wanna hear a seeecret?" she asks you with a foxy, toothy smile.

You nod, actually being a little bit curious and she pulls your jacket, gesturing for you to lean closer.

"When I grow up..." She shifts into a stage whisper, "I will marry king Asgore!"

You choke on laughter and cough out the first question that comes to your mind, "Why...?"

"Because he seems loooonely," she stretches out with exaggeratedly saddened expression.

Either this kid is little genius or poor goat dad is that obvious in his loneliness. Probably the latter though...

Mollie seem to forget about whispering, switching into her casual tone. "And also he's kind and fluffy just like king Waffles! But I can't marry king Waffles because he's just a toy and also my son, so I have to marry king Asgore instead!"

'Impeccable logic,' you think to yourself and nod thoughtfully a couple of times, like you're fully agreeing with her.

Satisfied, the girl withdraws to her corner of the room, lecturing king Waffles about his behavior in a mentoring tone.

Your feathery hostess leads you further to the small, well-lighted kitchen. Once there, she went to scurrying around, checking the wide array of drawers. The thing that you notice right away is that there are eggs on almost every shelf. Eggs of every possible size and color. Is she just collecting them or what?

"Sit down, sit down, dear," Hannie sing-songs to you. "There's no truth in legs."

What the heck is that suppose to mean? And why are you suddenly thinking about Mettaton?

Growing tired of questioning everything you settle yourself onto the big, rug-covered wooden chair and watch Raybahen doing her kitchen dance.

Finally, she places two filled glasses on the table, "Almost freshly squeezed beetle juice! It's my new recipe, Mollie loves it!"

You have no idea how to respond aside from eyeing the thick greenish sludge like it's going to attack you the moment you look away.

The big chicken doesn't seem to notice your reaction. She sits down on the chair across the table as the poor piece of furniture squeaks plaintively underneath her weight, "I can't believe you're already an adult..."

"When I saw you the last time you were so teeny and... to be honest you are still very small... I have warned you about not drinking your milk!" She shakes her strange feathery finger, pretending to scold you, and before you could came up with a response she laughs. "Ha-ha, of course I'm just kidding! You are so cute!"

"Ohhh you were such precious little eggies!" Hannie clucks with nostalgic warmth in her tone. "Sticking together and doing all sorts of shenanigans. Adorable clever cookies that always care for each other."

"You flew away from my nest too fast... Only left me that silly note and then you just... disappear... Ah..." She lets out a sad sigh. "I know it had to happen sooner or later but... not THAT soon! I was terribly worried!"

"And lately you even stopped to send me letters!" The chicken momma frowns. "Why won't you send me a little message that you're doing fine and well?"

"Or happened something bad...?" She gasps dramatically, cradling her face in her wings and staring at you.

"No-no, it's okay..." you reply quickly. "We're fine."

You can't exactly tell if it's the juice or the lie that left an awful sour taste in your mouth, but it's not like the truth would do any good.

"Thank goodness! I'm not grudgy about that or anything. What happened - happened and I'm just happy to see you again!"

You tap the glass as Raybahen sips from her cup, unsure of what to do or say. Definitely not going to drink though. No amount of determination can encourage you to taste that kind of _grub._

"How many children do you have in here?" you ask just to ask something.

"Well... Ever since you left I felt lonely and, eventually, I took in more children, but never could manage to care more than for three at a time. It's quiet at the moment though. Joy-Joy grew up and left about a year ago, Narbeak was adopted last month, so there's only Mallory in here." She sighs again. "Poor little girl..."

"She only had a father. He worked in the mines and when the tunnel collapsed..." Raybahen slowly shakes her head. "Now she is all alone..."

"I mean, I will care for her, of course! She just doesn't have anyone to play with in here. Though I'm sure she can take it, she is strong." Hannie tones down her voice to a whisper, "I'm secretly hoping that she will stay here with me and help me with the orphanage when she'll grow up. Mollie really likes to play with dolls, pretending to be their mother so... who knows."

"But enough about that, let's talk about you! Do you eat well? Do you sleep well? How's your scientist carrier? the monster nanny chatters with much enthusiasm and you feel more and more uneasy with every question." How's Papyrus doing? Ho..."

"Oh!" She seems to recall something suddenly. "Have you find your father!?"

"I swear, this numbskull...!" Now she's getting angry.

An exceedingly strong feeling can be read from Sans' soul. He **really** doesn't want for her to continue and yet, for some reason, he's not telling you anything.

Of course you're dying from curiosity. You want to learn more about Sans' past and who knows more about it than the person who apparently raised him as a baby-bones? Yet making him uncomfortable like that is the least of what you would like to do.

"Hannie, please, I don't-" You try to stop her but it seems that like this violent stream of words can't be blocked off that easily.

"I can't believe he just left you alone like that!" She flaps her wings in exasperation and now loose feathers are flying all over the kitchen. "You were so tiny, so vulnerable, so helpless! And so what if poor Mi-"

"Nanny-Hannie." Mollie shows up unnoticed, tugging on the dress of her talkative nurturer.

"Oh..." Raybahen finally stops her rant and looks down. "Yes, honey?"

"I'm hungry..." A sigh of relief almost escapes you but you hold yourself. This girl is a lifesaver.

"Huh?" The chicken monster casts a quick glance at the window. "My goodness I completely forgot about the time! Sansy you will stay for a lunch, yes?"

The image of Sans shakes his head dismissively and you repeat that motion after him, "I'm sorry but I really have to go."

"Oh. I see… But do not disappear on me again, understand?" She frowns at you but then immediately shifts back to smiling. "Write me a letter or visit any time you can! All of you!"

"Um, sure, Hannie," you say, standing up. "We'll see what we can do."

You bid your goodbyes to the hospitable chicken and her ward as they wave you out of the window.

After shuffling away about a dozen meters you turn back. Out of the open kitchen window you can see Rabahen preparing some ingredients for cooking. 'She seems like a good woman.'

'yeah, she's pretty nice...' The image of Sans shows up again, with smile engraved on his face as per usual, though he does seems to have relaxed as soon you stepped out of the orphanage. 'but once she starts _cluckin_ ' she just can't stop.'

'Definitely. A great example of a _mother hen_ ,' you let out a little snicker but, despite joking around, sadness crawls into your soul.

What even happened to his real parents? You have a sneaking suspicion about the father but virtually no idea about the mother.

Sans sighs, sensing the wave of your emotions, 'yes, me and my bro are orphans. s'not a big deal. you don't have to worry 'bout that or anythin'.'

'Sorry...' You bow down your head but continue after a moment of hesitation. 'But I noticed something.'

'I felt a burst of headache back there. Have you really forgotten about your life in here...?' Though considering it happened about two hundred years ago it's probably not that surprising.

'heh,' Sans chuckles humorlessly. 'some of it. guess all these resets screwed up my memories THAT badly... though i recalled somethin' today.'

'Care to share?' you ask curiously.

'nah.' Well that's just peachy. Doesn't he trust you yet? Or is he just that secretive? 'It's, uh, not important anyways.'

You breathe out and decide to leave the subject annd capital for now, before you get the chance to bump into another awkward conversation with one of the Sans' acquaintance. Using a shortcut you shift through space to check the door once more.

The door stands, just like it probably stood for ages, with the snow disturbed only by your own footprints and no one answering to your knocks.

Same old story.

It's so peaceful and quiet you almost hate it. You want to legitimately do something. Take action, free the monsters and assure everyone's safety! And yet you're powerless at the moment. You can't break the barrier or this door, thus waiting is your only option and you definitely aren't happy about that. Though you have to be honest...

The thought of meeting Chara again is still quite terrifying.

You're going back and forth, analyzing the lack of changes in your situation when Sans butts into your inner struggle.

'hey, pal.' You shake off your thoughts like a puff of a bad smoke and hum, letting him know that you're listening. 'remember what ya told me back at the lab? that you want to help me find gaster and his followers?'

'Of course.' You nod eagerly. Smells like adventure.

'huh...' he gives you an analyzing look. 'that's great n' all but are ya sure it's even possible?'

'Well, "sure" is too strong of a word, but I do have hope! They have to be there somewhere!' The cheese is so real you could cut it and make a sandwich. "So far everything seems to be relatively close to the game, not identical, but still I kind of assumed...'

'that we can find them 'ere... ok then. how 'bout we try to do it right now?'

The next several hours are spent teleporting, walking and looking all over the Underground, attempting to find at least one place where the enigmatic monsters could appear.

You peer at every face that you pass, trying to spot someone unusually grey or otherworldly. Which proved to be a tough thing to do. It's not like in the game, where everyone are easy to notice, minimalistic and glued to the same spot unless the player does something to change that.

Monsters all move around, all look different and weird in their own way. Some are a little bit uncanny, some are all grey, some are rocking special kind of eyes, yet so far no one of them strikes you as lifeless or glitchy. At least it's your best bet that these features must give away Gaster or his followers. You might be wrong, but you just don't have any other clues.

Not unlike a crazed, teleporting bunny you jump left and right to no end. Places and faces all blur in front of your eyes resembling a collection of crappy photos, but this cursory inspection isn't giving you anything aside from exhaustion.

Feeling like a tired sack of bones you flop onto the chair of Sans' Hotland hot dogs stand and let out a frustrated sigh, "Damn it!"

'Why don't I have photographic memory or something? That sure would've been helpful!' you grumble in irritation. 'Though if they can move around then I don't even know how we're supposed to find them...'

'so this is pointless then?' Sans asks you calmly and you bite your figurative tongue, growing even more angry with yourself.

'No it's not!' You stamp your foot, which is hardly impressive with you wearing fuzzy slippers. 'I just need to look harder!'

'heh. whatever ya say, bud.' He shrugs you off and you close your eye sockets for a second to calm down...

...just to wake up to the loud _thud_ that shakes the entire stand.

The mist of sleepiness vanishes immediately, your gaze darting around as you try to understand what's going on.

"Can I has tasty?" asks a tiny voice from below.

Looking down you discover that there's a miniature volcano standing near the stand, smiling cheerfully at you.

"Oh... Hey there, Vulkin," you recall this monster's name. Which is not that hard, considering their appearance.

They probably woke you up by ramming into the wall. An extravagant method but some folk don't seek easy ways.

"You, uh, wanna hot dog?" The perky monster nods excitedly, spilling a few drops of lava from the top of their body.

You get the ingredients out of the boxes. Good thing monster food doesn't spoil even at such hot temperatures. Also a good thing that the any climatic inconveniences don't bother you at all.

"Spicy!" Vulkin squeaks, tapping their cute little feet. You throw a funny look at them and add some mustard before offering the meal.

The cloud of smoke and ash erupts out of the pint-sized crater and a handful of red-hot coins are flung near you, landing on the ground. Coughing, you eye the damage that has been done to the floor.

Turns out it's all covered in old molten holes…

Who could have thought that Sans' 'dog-selling job can be so freaking dangerous!?

When the smog clears out you witness a glad Vulkin chomping on the hot dog and finally realize that you haven't had any food today. You really should take better care of your borrowed body.

Not feeling like chewing stalks right now, you season a piece of bread with a thick layer of ketchup and lean on the stand, eating solemnly while planning on where you should try to search next.

Noticing your frown, Vulkin tilts their head - along with their whole body - and asks, "Why sad?"

"Well, I was looking for someone..."

"Lost a friend? Oh! Ah!" Vulkin exclaims enthusiastically and starts parading around the stand. Which looks pretty silly as they use only three legs, still holding their food in the fourth one. "Vulkin can help!"

"Nonono!" Shaking both your head and your hands you quickly dismiss their offer. You feel like you had enough explosive experiences for today.

"Ahh..." A pair of big eyes now stare at you with heart-wrenching expression. "No… helping...?"

"Erm... D-don't worry! I'm sure I can find them! And you can help me by… um..." You look around to came up with something. "By enjoy your meal! Okay?"

"Is the best at that!" The funny monster returns their attention to their food. "Yum-yum!"

'Phew… SUCH an eager fella.'

'they just _lava_ to help people. that's all," Sans winks, popping up just to throw some random pun at you.

'Oh come on!" you giggle, more out of surprise than at that old joke.

Maybe you shouldn't have refused Vulkin's help so hastily but knowing their methods... Jumping into the water to extinguish all of the "healing" lava doesn't seem like fun.

'Wait... Water! The goner kid!' you burst and quickly teleport to the pierce in Waterfall area.

"Eh..." The quiet sigh escapes you.

Your excitement had a short lifespan as the spot you had most of your hopes pinned on turns out to be empty as well.

The seaweed bushes rustle gently in the cold, damp breeze as soft darkness starts to spread all across the Underground Kingdom. It's evening already, meaning that you've spent the whole day actively exploring new and old areas. No wonder you feel incredibly tired.

You kick a pebble into the river, scaring away the small fish and stare at ripples running across the water. 'Should've figured it wouldn't be easy.'

A thoughtful hum is Sans' only response and you assume that he's feeling down again.

'Don't be upset about that!' Like you're the one to talk, being upset yourself. 'Maybe they'll show up in some other time or in... um... another timeline.'

Your friend is still silent, mulling over something. 'Have you recalled anything new?'

'well... yes.'

'That's great!' Immediately, you liven up and ask, 'Why didn't you say so?'

Sans hesitates for a moment, 'it's, uh, kinda personal.'

'Oh. I see.' Again with the secrets. And again you don't know if he doesn't trust you or if it's something else.

'mhh...' Now he seems conflicted. Your head begin to hurt from the intensity of the things that are going through his mind.

'Look, Sans. I think you know me by now.' You can't just leave the subject like this, so you decide to talk it through. 'I'm always curious to know more about you and I'm always ready to share anything with you, but... YOU don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. It's entirely your choice.'

'yeah. i know. s'not even that big of a secret, i guess,' he says reluctantly. 'it's just... well, ya know me as well. i keep everythin' to myself. i don't want to bother anyone. the less you know - the happier you are.'

'There is SOME truth in that...' you admit trying to stay level headed, though you have a sneaking suspicion that you might end up sounding like a nerd. 'I appreciate your attempts to defend me just like you defend Papyrus, but... To defend the innocent from the hardships of the world someone has to know. You have the knowledge but you can't bear it all alone, you know that, right? One person can only handle so much.'

'And don't forget that we are a team and that means we have to share everything! Even if it's can be uncomfortable sometimes... Uhh...' Something feels off and you realize that you've probably started to contradict yourself. 'Am I pushing too much...? Sorry.'

'y'know what?' Sans blurts all of the sudden. 'you're right.'

Much to your surprise your skelepal not only seems to agree with you but is also very firm about it.

'It might be important after all.'

It's hard to believe that you're talked him into - well - talking, so easily, but you would be a fool to not to roll with it so you smile, 'Glad you changed your mind.'

'okay then. let's, uh... let's settle in 'cause there'll be lotsa talkin'.'

A second or two of traveling through the shortcut and you're back home. The house is empty for now and you figure that you can occupy the couch, stretching your tired bones all over the soft cushions.

Home... Can you really call this place your home? You are on good terms with Sans so you can probably consider yourself a guest but other than that...

This question, however, can wait as you have a lot of other questions loaded and ready to shoot.

"Sooo?" You clap your hands, eliciting a weird and loud _clunk_ sound that now rings in your earholes.

'from what i've gathered i worked with gaster and his assistants,' Sans begins slowly.

You listen carefully but he falls silent. 'Alright, I think we have established that by now...'

It's probably bad to push him but your curiosity is burning inside of you so fiercely that you can't help asking, 'So who's Gaster to you?'

He lets out a deep sigh and says, 'i think we might be related.'

"Ohhh so he IS you father! Knew it!"

'huh, what?' the puzzled skeleton glances at you. 'no.'

'Oh.' Now you're slightly embarrassed and a little bit confused.

'well... at least i don't think so.' He shrugs awkwardly. 'i, heh, don't remember anythin' 'bout him and his followers. what kind of people they were or what kind of relationships we had... nothin'.'

'but back there at hannie's... have ya noticed?'

'Noticed... what exactly?'

'three beds,' he states like an answer to the puzzle.

You don't really get it but luckily he keeps on talking, 'lookin' at them i start to remember how it was when i was just a tiny milk tooth.'

'how i played with papyrus and also with someone else…' There's a good chunk of mysteriousness in his tone right now. 'not once, but constantly. and you heard hannie sayin' that she didn't take in any more children before we, uh... left.'

'That means that he's your…' The realization finally hits your mind. '...brother?'

'yep. guess so.'

'Wow. Wow... Wow!' You're trying but failing to contain your giddiness, bouncing a small bit on a jangling couch.

Turned out the theories were true! Or, well... some of them.

'Okay,' you think after calming down, 'Go on.'

'again, i don't exactly know who they were but i do remember... uhh… helpin' them… with stuff.'

'Ah, quit it!' You wave your hand at him. 'I know exactly what kind of "stuff" you guys worked on there. The CORE, blasters, determination, time traveling, etc. You don't have to hide it from me!'

Sans chuckles half-sincerely half-nervously, 's'hard to get used to just how informed ya are.'

Something feels really off about his laughter...

'so, yeah, some major science was brewin' but let's just say it wasn't going very well… the failures just kept getting more and more dangerous and the last experiment... probably was the last for gaster. and it could've been the last for me…'

Was that... a smirk you saw on his face…? Or was it just a part of your imagination?

'What happened...?' you ask carefully.

'i dunno. It's just a big dark spot in my memory. the only thing i remember for sure is that my bro... papyrus, i mean, protected me by gettin' in the the way of whatever danger was there. i came out unscratched but it affected him drastically,' the small skeleton tells solemnly. 'he struggles with this day by day... but my bro is strong. very strong. despite everythin', he keeps his integrity. pretty sure that if i had to experience the same stuff that he has gone through i wouldn't be able to handle it that well. or at all... i'd probably just lose my mind.'

'but, hah, even like this...' Sans shakes his head, 'he's the one helpin' me to stay relatively sane.'

'Wow...' While it's not that hard to picture Papyrus shielding anyone from the threat, especially Sans, and the thought that he wasn't always like he's now is somewhat logical… still… all of this is tough to digest. 'Did he really change that much?'

'kinda. he was a lot more stable before, that's for sure. sometimes i still see a glimpse of his past, adult, self. sometimes he bursts like a teenager would. but most of the time he acts like a child.'

'an awesome child though,' he adds with adoration practically seeping out of him.

You can't help chuckling at that last remark, 'You love him so much it's adorable.'

'course i do. he's my family, he saved me more than once and even without that he's just so darn likable.' It's true that Sans has a hard time talking about himself but as turns out, when it comes to Papyrus, he can talk for hours. 'energetic, positive, kind, brave. he is so cool... nothin' like me.'

"Heey! Don't you dare to think less about yourself!" You let out a disapproving huff. 'Paps is cool, sure, and whatever is going on with his head I love his quirkiness regardless, but you are cool too!'

'heh.' Sans didn't said anything of substance in return. You let it slide for now.

'Hm… I imagine that you've got all these super powers after that failed experiment?'

'super powers, heh… i wouldn't call 'em that way but whatever. nah. it actually happened before, at the previous experiment.'

You're torn between asking more questions and not tormenting Sans any longer. He seems to notice your dilemma, 'well, i might as well tell 'bout that, right?'

'thought it's, uh... hard to explain,' he scratches his head, thinking. 'let's just say that i got overexposed to the flow of time.'

'curiosity bested me and i peeked when i shouldn't have. ' His illusion points at his left eye socket with one finger. 'now i can see time as easily as you can see shapes or colors. it's hard to put to words. i just... see it.'

'and now i've noticed that my perception is spazzin' out with every reset.' he winces slightly. 'not a terribly pleasant experience.'

'It hurts you, doesn't it...?' You suddenly feel guilty. After all, the latest resets happened with your direct involvement.

'eh, don't worry 'bout it.' he waves his hand carelessly. 'it's just mildly annoying and itchy.'

'Wait… Is that why your eye is flashing with blue and yellow?'.

'probably?' Sans ponders for a bit and then shrugs. 'i mean, aside from messin' with time s'not something that happens that often. only when i'm stressed out. and i'm all about avoiding that, heh.'

'But why does it flash with the colors of patience and justice though...?' you wonder, latching onto something your mind at least can comprehend, unlike the concept of "visible time". 'These are your main traits, well, as far as I can see, but monster souls are white.'

'hah. i dunno. but it does sounds neat. maybe, just maybe, it's connected somehow. i might-' he stops, staring absently before him. 'eh, forgeddaboudit.'

'What is it? Tell me!' you insist, frowning.

'heh... i was going to say that i might research it, but it's all in the past.'

'Why would you say that? Don't give up so easily!' Sans is an absolute downer today but you're having none of that.

'i did that long ago.' And he's clearly not talking about that eye-flashing research.

You drill him with a long, condemning look, driving him to writhe.

'ugh, don't _stare_ like that. no need to _lash_ out _eye_ swear i'm fine.' he attempts to pun a way out of this situation but you took the hit pretty well. With maybe just a twitching corner of your mouth almost giving you away.

'okay-okay, a'right,' he raises his arms in defeat, 'i might consider comin' back to it... if it's possible.'

'You just gotta believe that things will get better eventually!' You can see that he's really shaken but you're determined to support him.

'yeah… that would be nice.'

There's a long pause of you both thinking in the darkness of the quiet living room. You briefly wonder where's the heck Papyrus could be at such late hour.

'truthfully, i wasn't planning on giving up at first.' Sans finally confesses with a sigh. 'i was trying to fix everythin', but there's no way i can do it on my own.'

'and it's nothing but a fact,' he cuts your protests before you could even properly think about them. 'it requires a mad genius to make it work and you know exactly how he ended up...'

'apparently, as time passed, the incident and the people who were gone slipped out of my memory, so i forgot WHY i'm even trying, but… you have that power we were trying to get all along.'

'just natural control over time... it's, heh, ' Sans lets out a nervous chuckle, averting his gaze. 'kinda mind bogglin', honestly.'

'so... if you... maybe… ' Your dear monster friend is looking down, obviously trying to ask for your help to find his lost brother.

'I… can't reset anymore,' you have to remind him. 'Not with Chara blocking my ability to do that...'

'But I'm sure it will be fine.' There's nothing you can do right now but try to stay positive. Both for Sans' sake and for the sake of your own mental health. 'You have my full support.'

Doing your best to be firm and confident, you think, 'Together - we will figure something out!'


	17. Slice of life

You thought you were prepared for about anything that Chara has to offer, but you weren't quite ready for them to use Sans' special attack and do nothing at all. Day after day pass uneventful, forcing your imagination to fill in the gaps with grim assumptions.

What could possibly be keeping them in the Ruins for so long? What are they planning? Are they training? Could they have teamed up with Flowey to plot something malicious together...?

Such thoughts leave you checking behind your shoulder in a fit of paranoia, searching for a yellow silhouette in each shadow, slight movement and around every corner.

You're almost certain that they've done something horrible to Toriel, as she hasn't shown up at the door even once. Flaming concern for the poor goat mom and your inability to do anything about it forces you to grit your teeth each time you see that wretched slab of the purple stone.

Will they ever show up...? Could their absence mean that you actually killed that kid for good...? That idea is tearing you apart and when it pops up in your mind you just try to ignore it.

The nightmares aren't helping with your anxiety either, gradually depriving you of sleep and sanity.

There's nothing quite like nights spent watching an insane child killing everyone, with you staying paralyzed, unable to do anything but wait for your turn to die. Terrifying, twisted, unnatural smiles on both the faces of Chara and Sans flash before you. And the most horrible image that appears to you not only in your nightmares, but sometimes if you just merely close your eyes... The little, lifeless body pierced by countless glowing bones and red...

Red everywhere.

A pained scream tears apart the silence of the night as you jolt awake.

Only after a few long, panicked seconds do you realize that it was your own scream.

Your body is shaking, bones rattling one against another, cold sweat running down your skull and you swear you still hear that demonic laughter somewhere on the back of your mind.

'That nightmare again...' You don't have any time to recollect yourself, jumping as the door slams against the wall, a thin silhouette appearing in the door frame.

"WHAT ARE WE YELLING ABOUT!?" the "mysterious" figure shouts cheerfully.

"Wha... Papyrus...?" You squint at the light coming from the corridor." Oh... Did I wake you up?"

"DO NOT BE SILLY! THE ROYAL GUARD NEVER SLEEPS!" He punctuates this statement with a hearty yawn. "ANYWAY. IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?"

"Yeah..." you say, holding yourself in attempt to stop your body from shaking.

"WELL THEN!" He bought that surprisingly fast. "IF YOU AREN'T NAPPING AND YOU ARE FINE... THEN GO PICK UP YOUR SOCK!"

You couldn't help smiling. That brotherly sock war can't seem to stop amusing to you.

"Ok," you nod simply.

"AND WASH IT." You can't make out his face, being blinding by the light, but he clearly frowns right now.

"Ok."

"AND MAKE SURE I WILL NEVER SEE IT AGAIN!" Now he clearly sounds annoyed.

"AT LEAST NOT ON THE FLOOR..." he adds, after a brief moment of thinking.

"Okay, Paps," you nod again.

"GREAT!" And with that he leaves, closing the door behind him with the same "grace" he opened it.

"are ya sure you're fine?" Looks like it's the other brother's turn to express his concern. 'that scream didn't _scream_ "i'm alright".'

You smiled weakly. 'Maybe I'm not as dandy as I would like to be, but that was just a nightmare.'

Sans raises his brow bone but lowers it after realizing that you do feel better already. 'so what do ya wanna do now? not sleepin', i imagine.'

'I... might just take Papyrus' "offer" and go pick up that sock,' you think, already anticipating Sans' reaction to that idea.

Much to your amusement he lets out a surprised snort, 'uhh... you don't actually hafta do that, y'know.'

'Well, yeah, but it's still early and I don't know what else to do so I might as well clean up your room for you.' You shrug.

'huh?' He blinks, confused. 'why would ya want to do that?'

'Cleaning? Why not? Oh...' You realize something. 'You don't like the idea of me touching your stuff, right?'

'naah. it's just... not the most pleasant activity imaginable.' You're about to retort when he adds, 'and besides...'

'What? Besides what?' you ask when he pauses.

'i mean, what's the point? s'all going to be reset anyway,' he shrugs, seemingly careless.

'Sans...' You rub between your eye sockets, thinking on how to go about that touchy subject.

'You see... Sometimes you have to do something unpleasant, right? But it's the result you are doing it for, not the process itself.' You can feel the doubt stirring within Sans' soul so you quickly continue. 'And as for the result... Even if you clean up the room normally it would get dirty eventually, but it's not like it should stop you! So if you ask me I'd say that spending even one day in a clean room and in clean clothes is still worth it.'

Sans hums, not commenting other than that.

'Aaanyway! I just want to tidy this place up. Not the worst way to spend a few early hours, don't you think?' You look intently at your friend, waiting for his response.

'yeah, sure, pal,' he breathes out. 'i'm down with that.'

Looking around the room of your favorite slobby skeleton, like a general over a battlefield, you attempt to evaluate the scope of the upcoming work.

Dirt, trash and bad smells all over the place. How did you even manage to live here for so long before finally deciding to clean up? 'Ew, Sans... Your floor is a real mess. Paps wasn't kidding when he said that this room forgot the sound of the vacuum cleaner!'

'what can i say. i don't like cleaning' the floor... it's _beneath me_.' And of course he winks at you.

You cover your face with you palm and let out muffled laughter, "Oh my GOD this is so bad!"

"I love it!" Your smile lights up the room as you quickly came up with a comeback.

You pat the old mattress and try to lift it. Huffing and puffing you manage to bring the corner up to few inches before it slips from your fingers and hits the floor. "Phew, heavy."

'whatcha doin'?' Sans asks curiously.

'You'll see!' you answer with a glint of mischievousness.

After about a dozen minutes of struggling you roll the mattress and jump to sit on top of it.

Puffing up your chest you proclaim, "Don't try to stop me coz I'm on a _roll_!"

There's a beat of silence… followed by a burst of laughter. Pleased with yourself you join Sans laughing.

"Whoa... Steady there, Bessie!" You lose your balance, wobbling on a shaky pile of springs and fabric.

'ya did that just to make a joke?' Sans shakes his head. He seem impressed.

"Yep!"

'my school,' he nods like a wise guru. 'i'm proud of ya, human.'

You wince. He hadn't called you that in a while and somehow it makes you uncomfortable now that you hear it from him again.

'uh... something's wrong?' he asks, noticing your grimace.

'Ehh...' You decide to be honest. '"Human" sounds a little bit... rough. Imagine me calling you "monster" instead of "Sans".'

He hums, 'yeah, you're right. sorry.'

'Well, heh… Not like it's your fault that I don't remember my own name... ' You get up, trying to fight back the rising tides of existential crisis while Sans delves deep into his thoughts.

'how 'bout…' he mumbles, mulling over something.

You look questioningly at him and after a brief pause he says, 'how about... berry?'

'Wha... what?' you ask, confused.

'you like berries, right? and your soul looks a lot like strawberry,' he chuckles.

'Are you giving me… a nickname?' You blink owlishly.

'yea, exactly.' Sans nods in all seriousness. 'i dunno if ya know, but down here we give each other nicknames all the time. some even change their names to match their mood.'

'Berry, huh…' Why does it have such a familiar ring to it?

You snort as you recall exactly what it reminds you of.

Blueberry. A nickname for Sans in that fanon spin off where Sans and Papyrus got their character swapped. It does kind of resemble you but you can't believe that it was Sans that suggested it to you. There's no way he knows about this stuff and there's no need to tell him about any of that anyway.

'correct me if i'm wrong, but i think that sounds better than just "human",' he shrugs, as he fails to get an immediate response out of you.

'It does!' you clap your hands excitedly. 'Thank you, Sans! I love it.'

One thing Sans is definitely right about is that picking his socks around the house is not the most fun thing anybody can do, but you keep reminding yourself that some jobs just have to be done.

'Is collecting them really one of your hobbies?' you grumble, attempting to catch one last nimble sock that swirls in the indoor tornado along with a bunch of trash.

Sans chuckles, not even trying to hide his amusement at watching you fail. Sometimes you wonder if being a troll would fit him better than being a skeleton...

After all the hard work you were royally paid by none other than Papyrus. That face the surprised skeleton made when he saw you actually hauling dirty clothes to the bathroom was so totally worth it. He just stood on the stairs, unmoving, jaw open and eyes wide, like a living statue of shock.

Priceless.

With the first bunch of clothes tossed into the washing machine - thank god you don't have to actually wash it with your hands - you start to dig through Sans' drawers, sorting out the things chaotically stuffed in there.

Something soft and rustling catches your attention. You pull it out and unfold it, revealing a completely new jacket. So new, in fact, that there's a price tag still dangling from the sleeve. 'Wow, is this yours?'

'uh, yeah. why do ya sound so surprised?' He raises a brow bone at your reaction.

"Ehh... " Awkward. Why would you expect him to only have one article of outerwear? After all you're wearing his spare clothes right now, while the previous outfit is in the wash. 'Never mind.'

'i mean, i got used to my old jacket. s'comfy. and i kinda forgot about this one...' Sans scratches his head, suddenly feeling… guilty about something? Huh. 'try it on if ya want.'

So you did, venturing downstairs to look into the mirror. The reflection shows some badass skeleton in battered jeans, a grey hoodie and a puffy, bright-red jacket. You can barely recognize Sans in this stylish punk that smiles smugly back at you. The single downside of this jacket that it has no fluffy hood, or any hood at all, but you have the hoodie for that.

After at least ten minutes of spinning in front of the mirror your gaze stumbles on the poor slippers that had carried you through heat, mud and cold and you decide that these old warriors need some well deserved rest. 'Do you, by any chance, have some spare boots too?'

'what did comfy clothin' ever do to hurt ya?' Sans playfully pretends to be offended for his fashion choices.

You huff. "Don't you remember how I slipped because of the slippers?"

'point taken,' he chuckles. 'there hasta be an old pair of sneakers somewhere 'round the house.'

"Somewhere around the house" turned out to be behind the sink. You don't even want to ask why they ended up there, though you do wonder how you managed to find them.

Slippers and sneakers... The legends were true - he does have both!

A little bit later that day Papyrus corners you in the kitchen, when you stroll there to check on the energetic monster's cooking practice.

"YOU'VE BEEN SURPRISING ME ALL DAY." He looks intently at you.

"SOMETHING CHANGED IN YOU, BROTHER…" Now you feel nervous. Of course he would notice something is off, with you acting so not like Sans. "LET ME GUESS…"

"A NEW HAIRCUT!? NYEH HEH HEH!" The quirky laughter fills the house and you relax. Papyrus is just being Papyrus as usual.

"I'M GLAD YOU FINALLY CHOSE TO WEAR MY GIFT! I THOUGHT YOU HAD LOST IT...?" So this jacket is a gift from Papyrus? Why did Sans forget about it then? How strange.

While you think about that, the image of Sans sneaks behind his brother and whispers to you, 'heya, check this out.'

He's just barely tall enough to reach behind Papyrus' head, making him a pair of "horns" with his fingers. The silliness of him standing on tippy toe and "horned" skeleton with the latter being absolutely oblivious to the things only you can see is a little bit too much to hold back a quiet snort.

Which was immediately noticed by the victim of Sans' sneaky prank. "HEY, WHAT'S SO FUNNY?"

"Uhhh... Nothing." You stifle your laughter. "Just thought about... a pun."

"OH! WHY DON'T YOU SHARE IT WITH ME THEN?" He smiles at you.

'Ah crap, Sans, help!' You turn to the instigator of the unfolding shenanigans, for you can't think up a joke under pressure. 'You started this!'

Sans is really pleased with himself. 'no need to panic, the am _pun_ lance is 'ere.'

'That was terrible.' You shake your head.

'yeah? well, have something a little bit better.' Chucking, he shares another pun with you.

"WELL?" Papyrus nudges you, since from his perspective you've fallen silent.

"What the opposite of pasta?" you ask, snickering.

"NOT PASTA...?" Papyrus suggests, uncertain.

"Futura." You wink playfully.

"UGH!" he groans and then shouts, "PASTA IS NOT A MATTER FOR SILLY JOKES, SANS! IT'S VERY SERIOUS!"

"C'mon, it can't be THAT serious to not warrant a small joke every now and then," you try to calm him down, but it seems to be too late.

"UNDYNE WOULDN'T GIVE ME AN UNWORTHY TRAINING COURSE! SHE'S THE LEADER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, SHE CERTAINLY KNOWS WHAT SHE'S DOING!" he rants loudly, and the thought crawls into your mind that he might be trying convince himself more so than you. "IF I KEEP MAKING SPAGHETTI WITH ALL OF MY PASSION THERE IS NO DOUBT SHE'LL TAKE ME IN!"

"Um… Sure." Knowing the truth, you understand that Undyne is right. Paps can't be an actual warrior, so giving him the false training is probably the best thing she could've done.

Though her own cooking skills leave much to be desired...

That gives you an idea. "Talking about food. She didn't say anything about the other sorts of food, did she?"

"NO, NOT REALLY. AT LEAST NOT YET," he answers thoughtfully, after a moment of thinking. "WHY DO YOU ASK?"

"How about we cook something together?" Maybe you can teach Papyrus a thing or two, maybe not, but it should be fun regardless.

"WELL! I AM A VERY BUSY SKELETON!" he proclaims haughtily, posing in the middle of the kitchen, though you can see that he's barely containing his excitement. "BUT! I WILL MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR YOU!"

"Thanks, bro." You pat his shoulder. "Let me get the ingredients."

Of course it ended in a mess, but you knew it would. What fun would it be without that?

The days of seemingly peaceful life comes, daily routine sucking you into a calm pool of slow-paced boredom with only occasional ripples of fear of what may come next.

Unable to keep up with Sans' insane schedule filled with countless weird jobs, you ask him if you can quit some of them. In turn he suggests you to just drop everything, leaving out the post of a sentry at the road to the Ruins, as you would camp it anyway, so might as well have an excuse for that.

Living and working in the Underground you to get to know it better.

The glowing marshes of Waterfall remain one of the prettiest places you've ever seen. They are just perfect to walk around when you need to relax and think, gazing at sparkling crystals and listening to the calming flow of the water.

Hotland might not be as fun or pretty as Snowdin or Waterfall, but it turns out some fire monsters are really nice company. You find yourself selling hot dogs there from time to time, just to get a chance to see Tsunderplane bickering with Vulkin or the school girls doing flips on their skateboards.

Your Snowdin town neighbors are all kinds of weird and cute as well, with their own atmosphere and local traditions. You even get a chance to participate in one.

"Hey, what's going on out there? Why all the noise?" you ask as you bump into Papyrus, who just rushed through the front door, letting in a whirl of snowflakes and the sound of the crowd mumbling outside.

"HOW COULD YOU FORGET, YOU EMPTY SKULL!?" He grabs you by the hood and drags you outside like a sack of potatoes. "EVERYONE IS WAITING FOR YOU!"

As Papyrus paces further to the town center, with you dangling helplessly and confusedly in his raised hand, you realize that the whole town have gathered around the decorated tree.

There are some familiar faces you recognize, but also quite a few you haven't seen before. Somewhere on the background you spot Monster Kid - though you should really ask for his real name - with a pair of monsters who might be his parents. At least you kind of assume they are related, as they're staying close to him and doesn't seem to have any arms.

"Is everyone here?" booms the big brown bear standing in the center.

After looking around he nods and the crowd starts moving, forming a big circle of diverse fluffy and not-so-fluffy monsters. You find yourself between Papyrus and one of the bunnies you don't know much about, waiting for what's going to happen next.

Hopefully not some sort of satanic ritual, but who knows these days.

'they're going to sing,' Sans answers your unspoken question.

'Oooh,' you stretch out. "Wait… Dang. I don't know the words!'

'don't worry, you don't hafta sing. you don't even have to be 'ere. it's just that pap loves these small events and always _brings_ me along,' he enlighten you with a wink.

Before you have a chance to respond it beings.

Swaying left and right, the ring of monsters start to sing.

"Come and stay around

In our little town

Where, trapped underground

We refuse to frown"

The chorus, though quite haphazard, sounds pleasant enough. Aside from maybe Papyrus, who's cheerful shouting pierces your skull, though you're kind of getting used to that.

"There is not much here

And long nights are cold

But the freedom is near

So we must be bold"

As far as you can see the only ones who aren't singing are you and probably Grillby, who's compensating for that by holding his hands up, waving them and overall acting as a rallying flame.

"Do not cry or mope

Sing with us this song

Keep to dream and hope

And stay strong"

The bunny lady gets your attention. With a kind and gentle smile she offers you her paw. Hesitantly, you take it and then Papyrus quickly grabs your other free hand.

Standing here, in the town decorated with ribbons and shimmering lights, seeing all the different, smiling faces, holding one gloved hand and one furry paw… It feels so incredibly surreal, like a you've ended up in a whimsy Christmas special.

"Take me by the hand

Follow us, my friend

We will leave this land

In the end"

Everyone whistles, claps their hands, stomps their feet or does whatever they can to cheer for their hometown and their entire kind. The dogs got a little bit too carried away, hugging each other and still howling the tune even when the song is long over.

A few songs later the grownup townies start to share freshly baked goodies and not so fresh stories and jokes with each other, while their kids just run around being adorable. The little balls of slime hop around playing catch-up with a couple of fluffy children in striped shirts and a black pup you believe is Doggo's nephew munches on cookies together with Kid, feeding them to the excitedly bouncing small dinosaur.

In the distance, Papyrus is arguing about something with a clearly unamused bunny lady, gesturing with wide sweeps of his arms. Apparently he was shouting so loud during some parts of the songs that her sharp hearing had to go through major discomfort.

Ah, Papyrus…

This tall goofball keeps growing on you every day, even when you thought it's impossible to like him even more. Now that you know his secret - that he is an orphan that struggles with some mysterious mind trauma - you finally see why the root of Sans' undying respect for him is so deep. He is chaotic and sometimes it catches you completely off guard, but he's never violent and even if he suddenly becomes sad, he simply can't stay like that for too long.

You cook and clean the house together, patrol the snowy routes, came up with new puzzles and spend evenings exercising your magic, body and mind to be prepared for facing the human. Though Papyrus is far more excited about the latter than you are

Sometimes you also partake in harmless pranks, like that one time when you built snow people outside of each and every window at the cover of the night. Oh boy, what a morning that was!

Most of the ideas come from Sans, while you, suppressing laughter, put them into action. Papyrus' reactions range from enthusiasm and laughter to complete annoyance which is equally fun for you and for your pranking partner.

Yet the most fun part is when you come up with jokes yourself and make Sans laugh. It never fails to fill you with pride and joy.

Though, try as you might, you can't get use to sharing one body with him. Or, better put - controlling his body instead of him. It just feels... wrong.

One of the examples is with your colleagues - the royal dogs. They all are adorable fluff balls that love Sans to bits, grouping around, wagging their tails and asking for bones and pats whatever they see you. Except you aren't Sans, even if he's still inside of his own body.

It's just like when someone waves and smiles at you and you smile and wave back only to find out that they were paying attention to someone behind you. Extremely awkward.

And you have to deal with this constantly.

The door creaks quietly as you walk into the best and only bar of the Snowdin town. There's a beat of silence while regulars drop everything to look at who's joined them, but it's quickly followed by a shower of cheerful greetings.

The Greater Dog leaps out of his armour, leaving it at the poker table and lands right in front of you. The excited canine puts his heavy, fluffy paws on your shoulders and licks your face as if it's some sort of dog candy.

"Ahah, come on, Great! We saw each other an hour ago," you laugh, ruffling his thick, white fur. It's hard to get used to the rather uncomfortable feeling of slobber sipping into your skull, but whatever keeps the big pup happy.

Two dark figures come closer to you, speaking almost in sync, "(Hi Sans. You brought the bones?)".

"Hey, Sans. You promised, remember?" the other echoes her words.

"Sure thing, love birds," you chuckle, pulling your latest magic experiment out of your pocket - squeaky chewing bones.

One of the perks, as well as dangers, of training while being extremely tired - you never know what kind of new weird thing you might accidentally create. Just a slight change in the way you imagine the bones you're trying to summon and instead of hard, solid material you get something that's very close to rubber.

"(We aren't birds…)" Dogaressa scrunches her muzzle.

"Thanks! Thanks!" Dogamy is far more excited, immediately snatching one of the toys from your hands, shoving it in his mouth and starting to chew, a blissful expression settling on his face. "Thish ish amashin…"

After all hellos are returned, pats given and gifts gifted, you sit down at your regular spot.

This place is fairly small, just a few tables, the bar and the broken jukebox, filled with the strong smell of a kennel colliding with a fast food restaurant. A combination that you will hardly find anywhere else. Though it actually feels surprisingly pleasant and even homey in here, as the humming and crackling of Grillby's fire as he stands behind the bar cleaning glasses, reminds you of a cozy fireplace.

You wave your hand, getting the attention of the flaming bartender. "One milkshake, please."

"Grillbz asks if you want ketchup in there again." After contemplating for a moment you nod in agreement.

For anyone else that would be a totally gross mix, yet you're either going insane living down here or Sans' body really takes over in a matter of tastes, because strawberry milkshake with ketchup is one of the best things you've ever dared to try.

"He's on it." The classy fire elemental walks off to fill your order. He never seems to say anything, though that duck lady probably wouldn't allow that anyway, always speaking instead of him. You wonder if they're in a relationship.

But hey! Why not ask your ever present source of information? 'What can you tell me about Grillby?'

'not much.' Sans appears on the empty barstool near you, casually leaning on the counter. 'only that he's awesome at his job and also a great listener. interestingly enough, it's hard for me to read his expression. i think he's hidin' something... but, heh, ain't we all?'

'Well, I'm not hiding anything from you! And I know it's too much to ask, but it would be nice if a certain skeleton stopped hiding things from me too,' you drop a hint so "light" it almost causes an earthquake.

'heh... maybe with time.' He shrugs, looking down. 'who knows.'

'Yeah, uh… Right. Sorry.' He opened up quite a lot for you already, you have to give him some time to adjust to that. 'We've known each other... for how long exactly? I lost the count of days somewhere after the first week.'

'lemme see...' Sans closes his eye sockets and thinks for a while, mumbling numbers quietly to himself before saying, 'it's been 24 days, 13 hours and... 22 minutes, yes, of the current timeline. plus 2 days and 'round 2 hours before that.'

"A...? Wha...?" The baffled sounds you let out received a few glances, though people seem to have gotten used to you mumbling to yourself time to time. 'How on earth did you count all that!?'

'i told ya that i can see the time,' he reminds you calmly. 'that means i can tell exactly what time it is at any given moment or the time that passed from one event to another down to the millisecond. so i'm basically a living _timer_... heheh.'

'Bad timer, pffft!' you joke awkwardly, trying to wrap your head around that information.

Sans raises his brow bone in a silent question.

'Nothing, nothing.' Backing away, you switch the subject back on track. 'So a bit less than four weeks, huh... It feels like forever. I thought it was at least half a year!'

Your order arrives and you dig into the both creamy and salty drink while taking sneaky looks at your illusive boney fellow. He's just sitting there, eye sockets closed, smile plastered on his face as if some wandering body artist drew it on him while he was napping.

'Sans,' you call him, pushing away your finished drink. 'May I ask you one personal question?'

'uh…' He gives you a quick glance and shrugs. 'well. ask away. don't promise i'll answer though.'

'Okay. So... Why are you still smiling?' you ask carefully.

'why... shouldn't i?' The corner of his mouth twitches.

'You know exactly what I mean!' You can't help feeling slightly irritated. 'You're completely able to NOT smile so why do you keep doing it all the time? Even when I can FEEL that you are sad or worried!?'

Sans hums, looking away as if he wants to evade this question. 'Uh, sorry if it came off a bit rude. I just don't understand...'

'it's okay,' he says slowly after a lingering pause, filled with laughter from the gang back at the poker table. 'it's... uh…'

He closes his eye sockets again, deciding something for himself. 'a'right, let's be fair 'ere. sometimes it's actually tempting not to. and considering that it's only you who can see me and you're... informed... but…'

'You don't trust me well enough? Or you've gotten too used to it?' you nudge him further with your guesses. 'Don't answer if you don't want to, it's just that I'm... concerned.'

Sans lets out a long sigh and then chuckles, 'heh. that's so silly, right? i mean, i smile so no one would hafta bother. and it always worked. but now it's doing the exact opposite of that…'

'Yep,' you nod sharply. 'So what's the matter?'

'that would be unfair to you,' he admits, the look he gives you is filled with sadness he fails to hide in his soul, 'if i stop smiling while you have to fake it for me.'

'Awwww.' You're practically melting from how cute this small skeleton is. 'We don't have to both struggle with this! You've done it long enough, so now that you can afford some relaxing just do it! Let your face rest!'

'welp, being a skeleton, a smile IS my _resting_ face.' The moment of weakness is gone and Sans chuckles, reverting to his usual "carefree" self like nothing ever happened. 'as in _resting in peace_.'

'No-no-no, you will NOT joke away from this conversation,' you think, fighting with the urge to laugh.

You smile softly. 'You don't have to play pretend with me.'

'i did got used to it, but…' He makes a weak shrug. 'okay. i'll try.'

'That's more than I've hoped for.' It's true. Even him actually admitting that he isn't as happy as he wants to appear seems like a huge thing to say for this little bundle of big secrets.

'truth for truth?' Sans says, pulling you out of your thoughts.

'Um... Sure!' You nod. 'What do you want to know?'

'can ya tell me about the surface world?' he asks, looking at you. 'i've read about it, seen the pictures and movies, yeah, but you actually lived there... if you remember anything, i mean.'

'Oh wow, where do I even begin!?' This question catches you by surprise even though that's one of the most obvious questions he could ever ask from a human such as you.

You scratch your head, thinking. 'There's a lot of things and I'm not sure if I can give much insight on them.'

'Do you have any subject you want to know abo- Oh, wait!' You stop yourself abruptly. 'I imagine you would like to hear about the sky?'

There's a glint of curiosity in Sans' eye sockets as he nods.

'He-he,' you chuckle. 'I thought so.'

'The sky is wonderful! With white puffy clouds just like your jacket's fluff and with the bright sun and the pale moon…' you babble, trying to turn on your imagination to the max. 'And…'

'Why I am talking about this anyway!?' you burst, feeling giddy.

Sans blinks and before he can say anything you stand up and think, 'Let me get you out of this cave so you can see it all for yourself!'

'uhh…' Sans shifts uncomfortably. 'hate to remind ya, but our last trip to the surface was a _grave_ mistake.'

You wince. 'That's true...'

'But... Don't worry! This time we won't go far away and won't be there for too long. I just... want a gulp of fresh air.' And to show him the real stars, obviously.

Sans is lost in thought. You can understand his hesitation. Leaving your post can be dangerous, but nothing happened for so long that you just need something positive to shake you both up.

'a'rigt,' he nods slowly, curiosity pushing his doubts aside. 'but just for a little bit.'

Your giddiness has no bound. "Grillby, put it on my tab! And goodbye everyone!"

Few hours later you're preparing some snacks you've cooked today and a spare blanket for comfortable sitting, while humming a cheerful tune. Turns out that Sans' low voice fits perfectly for humming.

The rightful owner of this voice can't help but remark, 'ya sure are excited for this expedition.'

"Heck yeah!" you exclaim, tossing the chocolate chip cookie, catching it mid air and giving it a bite. 'This is going to be fantastic, I can feel it!'

'hmm... homemade food, stargazing, two people all alone...' You flush and choke on the crumbs, realizing what he's talking about.

'...is this a date?' he winks at you, confirming your suspicion.

'Why can't one show stars to another without it being all romantic like...?' you grumble, flustered at his implications.

'heheh,' Sans chuckles, amused by your reaction. 'relax. i'm just _ribbing_ ya.'

You sit near the rocky wall, watching as a shining celestial artist paints the fluffy clouds in bursts of orange and pink. The wind picks up this colorful, foggy wool and shifts it, tearing it apart and mixing it together, forming crazy, unique patterns.

Underneath such beauty, across the forests and the hills, lies the city full of humans. The citizens are preparing for sleep - or, who knows, maybe they are going to party up all night - unaware of what's going on right below their noses.

A mere half a dozen hours worth of walking and you could get to that city. You could get there and tell everyone about the monsters and their struggles, and maybe some kind souls would care to help you, but... After your first attempt you had to scratch off that idea.

So you just watch.

Watch, as the sky changes its colors from the cotton candy mix to the basket of blackberries. Watch, as the sun sinks lower and lower into the horizon, blinking a few last rays into your eye sockets as if to tell you "See you later and don't miss my next show!". Watch, as the nibbled wheel of cheesy moon takes its night shift, pouring mystical, milky light all over the world.

The melodic chirping of the crickets surrounds you, echoing through the cave you left behind. More and more of the little musicians take their places in the choir, much like the stars take their spots in the darkening skies. Then some lone night bird joins the concert, spicing it up with a tinkling, upbeat trill. You don't know what all of these creatures forgot so high up the mountain, but you sure don't mind hearing such a beautiful song.

There's nothing going on in your mind, just peace and harmony. You finally found your small snippet of balance in this insanely weird and dangerous world full of magic.

Talking about magic. The look on Sans' face...

His eye lights are glued to the sky, studying it with the hungry curiosity of a wide-eyed child. What would you give to take a sneaky photo or to draw a full-blown portrait of him right now.

'the greater dog constellation, but where's the... ah, there it is,' he mumbles to himself and you chuckle quietly at his enthusiasm, thinking that you would probably never grow tired of seeing him like this.

For monsters to have their own names for constellations is kind of logical but also illogically cute. As for you, you can't seem to find any constellations you're familiar with, but - as far as your memory reaches - you weren't into astronomy anyways.

Though, at the moment, you are very much into it.

The stars shine and twinkle, dotting the deep-blue, endless space and it makes you feel tiny, insignificant and yet... adventurous. There are countless possibilities and numerous routes to take, there is a world full of wonder awaiting you!

For you and Sans.

"Hey! I can't believe I never actually asked you before!" you suddenly recall something you should've asked a while ago. 'What's it like?'

'How are you... back there?' you specify, when Sans raises his brow bone at the question. 'I mean, sharing your body with me... It must be weird, right?'

'hm... s'tricky one.' He thinks for a bit, before continuing, 'well, i can see, hear and taste all the same as you do, if that's what you're asking.'

'But what happens with you when I'm asleep?' you ask curiously.

'the usual. i can still feel and hear, but can't see. for, heh, obvious reasons,' he chuckles.

'so, yeah. nothin' really changed for me. it's just that i... uh... ' he hesitates for moment, 'can't move. like i'm paralyzed and my body moves by itself. at first i tried to move instinctively buuut... y'know. stopped, eventually.'

'Oh...' That's actually sounds quite terrifying and now you feel uneasy.

'eh, s'ok. i got used to it. after all, i like to do absolutely nothing.' He shrugs with a wink, but you stare him down, frowning.

Sans seem to understand that you don't believe to his fake smiles and looks away. 'ahem, anyway...'

'after ya touched the souls it opened some sorta channel...?' he half-states half-asks, uncertain. 'so i can hear some of your thoughts and emotions. it's pretty easy when they're directed towards me or when they are loud, but muffled when they are just, uh, general thoughts.'

'and ya can see me right now, right?' He waves his hand in front of your face and you giggle, surprised by this.

'Yep, I can see you very well!' You nod eagerly. 'It's pretty weird and I'm not sure how it works, but I am more than glad to be able to see you.'

'hm,' Sans hums, pulling away his hand and you feel that he's flattered. 'i think it's 'cause i managed to connect to your imagination. so at least i can kinda move... even if it's only you who can see it.'

You feel guilt approaching the porch steps of your mind again. It's so sad that just by being here you made Sans a prisoner inside of his own body.

'hey. i feel you blamin' yourself there. ya stop that, a'right?' He sends you a wave of some strange emotion, you don't really know what it is, but somehow it feels comforting. 'i told you that i'm glad that you're here. and even though there are problems we'll hafta deal with i have a great time. i enjoy your company. and, heh, i haven't slept so well in a while.'

You manage to pull off a smile. 'Yeah... These few weeks were really great. It's so much fun to be around you and your brother.'

'Though, I could use some peaceful sleep too. All this stress from waiting for something bad to happen...' you admit, suddenly feeling sad and tired. 'I wish these nightmares would stop...'

'cheer up. this night is too amazin' to be sad or to be asleep,' Sans gives you an encouraging wink.

'I…' You look back at the dark, clear sky, stars winking to you as well. 'I guess…'

'hey, berry.' You find yourself smiling without even noticing it. This nickname is way too cute.

'thanks,' Sans says, and it really seems that he's grateful. 'for showing me all this. your skies are beautiful.'

'Our skies, Sans!' you declare firmly. 'One day we all, monsters and humans alike, will live under these stars! I believe in that.'

'heh…' he chuckles, eye sockets closed. 'i'd love to believe in that too.'

You take a deep breath. Fresh, mountain breeze full of scent you can only catch by night fills your ribcage.

Such a wonderful night.

Till the morning lights the lone little monster, that isn't actually alone, was sitting near the edge of the cliff, looking up at the sky, smiling, laughing and hoping for the best.

Another few days come to pass. The days of sharing jokes and respect day after day, living a peaceful, normal life. Well, normal as far as anything can be in your situation, being stuck in the underground full of quirky and queer monsters.

The current day is slow and lazy with nothing really happening as per usual. You sit at your snow-covered station, wishing for the evening to come earlier, as you and Papyrus planned to watch some cartoons he brought from Undyne. Actually not anime for a change.

It's really tempting to just take a snooze to pass the time and you settle yourself as comfortably as you can, to do just that.

As you're about to doze off a faraway grinding sound knocks away your sleepiness.

"Huh?" You rise your head that was resting on your hands to look around. 'Sans.'

'yeah?' His image appears near you as he yawns and stretches his arms. 'called?'

'Did you hear anything?' Both of you concentrate on listening, but everything is quiet.

You feel very uneasy, not daring to move or breathe. A few minutes passes before you finally hear soft crunching of snow...

Coming straight from the door to the Ruins.

You suddenly can feel all the cold that surrounds you as if you have your skin back again.

'looks like we have a guest.' Sans voices out the thought that flashes in your mind. His tone is strained and you feel the tension seeping from his soul, mixing with the tension from the soul of yours.

Hiding in the shadows of the trees you observe the intruder. The small, hunched figure, with head trying to hide in their shoulders. They look around sporadically like there are monsters hiding in the woods, waiting to attack them.

Which is exactly the case.

Anger starts raising inside of you. That anger comes from fear for your life and for the lives of your friends, but also from irritation of waiting for so damn long, living a life on the edge of your nerves all because of this pesky little devil.

You get yourself ready. So much planning and training was done in preparation for this very moment...

Yet nothing ever goes as planned for you.

It all happens just within a few game-changing seconds.

You teleport to stand in front of the child, immediately conjuring four walls of bones to try and trap them in some sort of a cage, hoping that without their knife they couldn't break free so easily.

As soon as the kid sees you, they flinch away, startled. Making a step backwards they stumble, falling down.

Falling down right towards the bones rising from the ground.

With the disgusting sound bones pierce through the little body. The red liquid gushes out like a fountain, a few drops landing on your absolutely terrified face.

The kid is still alive, but it's obvious that they won't last for long. They twitch and then something shocking happens.

In the ringing silence of a startled snowy forest the dying child opens their mouth and whispers, choking through blood, "Please... _cough_... a chance..."

The small body goes limp, sliding down towards the ground, vital fluid flows from their wounds, dyeing the white bones and snow in red and bringing you back to all the nightmares you ever saw after encountering Chara.

Only now it's so, so much worse.

It looks like you just accidentally killed someone who merely wanted a chance.


	18. But it refused

No movement. No sound.

It seems like time has stopped, trapping the body of the two people in one to stand forever before the lifeless figure.

No past, no future, no different timelines - only this single moment of shock and terror.

Yet this illusion vanishes as soon as the red soul emerges from the dead body, so small, so fragile and so painfully bright and colorful. Stunned, you stare at it, waiting for it to burst into the small pieces, but nothing happens and then, in an act of twisted, morbid curiosity your gaze slides down.

Pale face, torn sweater and blood everywhere… You feel nauseous, like there's something stuck in your throat, even though you don't have one. That's when you notice that you're not the only one who has damaged this child today. Aside from the blood, their clothes, hair, and skin are also covered in fresh burns. You can still catch the faint scent of smoke.

Adding the pieces of information together your shocked mind finally begins to process the full scope of this messed up situation, for it looks like Toriel was alive all this time and the kid had just come out of the fight with her. This fact and also what they said to you with their last, dying breath...

Could it be...? Is this child...

...Frisk?

'huh.' Muffled by the dark wall of your heavy thoughts there's Sans mumbling, 'well that went surprisingly easy.'

'W-what...?' Hope lingers that you had misunderstood what he just said.

'can't you see?' He throws his hand out of his pocket to point at the defenceless, aimlessly floating soul. 'it's all over. we won...'

'a-and we even have the last soul to break the barrier with!' There is a slightly crazed note in his voice and in the expression he bears, but that's not what bothers you at the moment.

'Nonononono... I didn't want to... I...' You shake your head and turn around, refusing to look at anyone or anything any longer.

'don't feel bad. everythin' s'great. you did a good thing,' he continues despite your protests.

"No... NO! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!" you yell with a sudden outburst of rage that, however, doesn't last long.

Feeling incredibly weak and sick you slump into the snow, hiding your face in your palms.

'berry...' Sans lets out a sigh. 'we were lucky enough to get them when they were vulnerable. you saw what this small fry is capable of. who knows what else they would've done if you hadn't acted first.'

"NO! No... no... no..." you whine, repeating one single word like a broken record. A record that was defeated, crushed and filled with regret.

It's quiet for a while. Nothing disturbs the silence as you rock back and forth, drawing in shuddering breaths of the sickening, copper-scented air.

'i'm... i'm sorry,' Sans finally speaks in a solemn tone. 'i got carried away.'

'so close... and yet so far,' he chuckles humorlessly.

You respond with a loud sob.

'hey.' You shudder. By the sound of his voice it seems like he's very close.

Taking your hands away from your face reveals that the illusion of Sans is, indeed, crouching right in front of you.

'hey,' he repeats, looking you in the eyes. 'snap out of it. just as ya said, it wasn't in our plans. it was an accident. s'not your fault.'

'you wanted to talk to them, right...?' You make a slow nod. 'so…'

'let's... ugh…' he winces, but continues anyway, 'let's reset time and listen to what that kid hasta say.'

'and if they're just as bad as before... well…' He shrugs and it seems like he's talking to himself now. 'then at least you won't have to feel sorry anymore.'

Sans has a point. You can't erase your memories, but now that you're in charge of the timelines down here, you should be able to, at very least, bring the kid back to life.

Breathing in and out, you begin to mutter to yourself, jumbled words ending up sounding like an ancient spell, "I can do this, I want to do this, I must do this, I can do this…"

God knows how much time had passed as you sat in the snow, gathering all of your willpower, concentrating on the desire to fix your mistake, before it finally works.

The air around you faintly glows red, pulsing to the beat of your soul. Being unable to withstand so much raw magic, your monster body begins to melt, deforming more and more with every passing second. It looks and feels absolutely horrible. Yet it's not important.

The world fades away like a distant mirage. The snow, the trees, your body, everything is left behind as you reach out to the white and black void.

The familiar chaos of flying letters welcomes you back to the place outside of time and space, and it might be your imagination playing with you again, but some lines are creating really weird patterns. Like these few, in the distance. They look like a strange, creepy face staring at you.

Wait a second…

That's not just your imagination. There's someone there!

Moving towards you through the void, surrounding you with eerie, soundless whispers, that someone is trying to reach for your soul as if they want to grab it. You feel like it's a good time to GET OUT OF HERE.

" ** _Help me_** _\_ AID ME _\find me\_ **SERVE ME** _._ " Countless distorted voices, close and distant, pleading and demanding, smooth and screechy, attempt to call out to you, but in a fit of panic you've already set the world to start.

You are back at page one.

Too much. This is too much.

You're barely able to keep standing, head exploding from all the good and awful memories that are trying to settle in your head. Your sight is flickering on and off, switching between black and white, colors and contrast, blurring everything like a kaleidoscope. Through your linked souls you sense that Sans is struggling with the same things.

You hold your head like it could fall apart at any moment. It's all you can do as you gasp for air like you've received a merciless punch to the guts while waiting for this torture to stop. Though you recover enough to feel mostly stable by Papyrus' scheduled appearance.

Watching as he comes closer, stomping through the snow and then posing and rambling the sorely familiar words… somehow you can barely take it.

"Hey... b-bro…" Your voice shakes, almost giving you away.

"WHAT IS IT?" he responds, annoyed by you interrupting his spiel.

"It's... it's nothing." It takes a lot from you to not burst into tears and just keep smiling. "Can I patrol together with you today?"

"BUT… BUT OF COURSE!" He stares at you in surprise. "WOWIE! YOU REALLY ARE MAKING PROGRESS!"

"I GUESS MY POSITIVE EXAMPLE FINALLY RUBBED OFF TO YOU!" His red cape flows behind his back as he proclaims, "KEEP THIS UP AND YOU WILL BECOME THE BEST SENTRY IN THE WHOLE UNDERGROUND! ALONGSIDE WITH ME! THE BEST ROYAL GUARDSMAN!"

"Sure. Sounds like a plan." There's no honesty in your words and you can't bring yourself to look anywhere but down.

The next few hours fly by, registering in your mind as nothing but blur. You walk around with vigor, like you can outrun your own memories. Strangely enough it actually kind of works. An empty head feels almost like a bliss, but then the evening comes and on autopilot you start to make your way back to the brother's house.

The underground's kind of twilight re-colors the snowy forest and town in grey, sucking out any happiness and brightness that it has by the day. You trudge through the same old landscapes, not looking much around, for the empty space replacing the puzzles and snow figures you once built keeps reminding you that everything was reset and why that happened.

In the front door, slip past the kitchen so Papyrus won't notice, stairs, another door and finally, your room. It greets you with darkness, trash, and the wall of stench that you happily managed to forget. You don't even have any strength left to whine about this fact. Stumbling through the junk scattered on the floor you get to the bed and drop to sit beside the roll of sheets.

There is no wonder that you feel so weak. All the training that you did was erased, all the sleep is undone and your borrowed body is back to its previous pitiful condition.

This is disheartening. Very, very disheartening and that's just putting it lightly. Everything that you did for about two months is gone. All the activities, events, bonds... vanished in an instant. Disappeared from everyone's but yours and Sans' memories.

This is disheartening, but not as much as what happened at the end of the previous timeline. Inside you're torn apart, screaming, howling and losing your mind but on the outside you keep on smiling. You've learned from the best, though your role model isn't quite happy about that.

'berry…' Sans begins carefully. 'i know it's awful. i can very literally _feel_ your pain. but-'

"Here's a joke!" you perk up, exaggeratedly cheerful.

'uh…?'

You bounce a small bit, mattress squeaking underneath you. "Nothing really _mattress_!"

Your buddy doesn't seem to approve of that joke, frowning at you.

'Hey, It's funny! Wanna know why? It's because I've heard it from YOU! Though not from the actual you but from an animation with you I saw on the internet, ha-ha-ha! Ha…" Your shoulders drop.

'come on...' Sans is confused, but the thing that he can clearly see is that you're really ticked off. 'joking like this… this ain't like you. it's... not funny.'

'And yet you are still smiling…' You smirk, getting some kind of twisted satisfaction by cornering his own logic.

A sigh of frustration escapes the annoyed skeleton. 'a'right! a'right… i told you that i'll try, so…'

'here goes nothing.' He closes his eye sockets, visibly struggling with something.

His smile falters. You suspect that you're so tired that you've started to see things. Few blinks, however, didn't help.

Sans isn't smiling.

'Here. Are you happy now?' No smile, no accent, even the tone of his voice has changed, as if someone different is looking at you right now.

"Wh… wha…?" you stutter, peering at him like you've seen a ghost.

'Surprised, hah?' His mouth stretches into an one-sided smirk and it's so completely bizarre to see this. 'That's exactly how I used to talk before.'

'I'v-' He coughs and shakes his head. 'damn i really weaned myself out of that voice.'

'i've changed since then.' And now he's back to sounding like usual. 'probably not for the best.'

'it would be a shame if all of this changes you as well." Sans looks at you pleadingly. 'don't let it get to ya.'

'I... feel so incredibly sorry for you. For everything that you had to go through…' you think distantly, once the shock is gone, ignoring his attempts to cheer you up. 'I know resets are terrible but this... This is just…'

Sans is silent. He doesn't know what else to say.

'I'm, hah, actually grateful to you now.' You laugh nervously. 'That you kept me from bonding with everyone. At least you remember me… What would I do if you didn't…?'

'i-'

'I can't sleep.' You stand up, interrupting Sans once again. 'You can rest if you want.'

'nah.' He shrugs. 'i'm not tired.'

Head and shoulders sunk down, you shuffle down to the bathroom like it's your last trip to the gallows. At least Papyrus is still in the kitchen. The last thing you want is to let him see you like this.

Cold water spurts out of the faucet and you splash your face in the faint hope of washing at least some of your thoughts away. Then you look up, noticing the mirror, where two faintly glowing white dots stare back at you from the darkness.

Your reflection is both creepy and saddening. The pale, bleak skull with an uneven, forced grin. A grin that fails to hide all the guilt, fear and depression surrounding your mind.

Why are you still trying to keep it up?

Slowly, the smile fades away. Your eye lights begin to dim even further, quivering and flicking on and off like a pair of old, haunted light bulbs. You close your eye sockets and press your head to the cold, hard surface. The water dripping from your face slides down the glass.

"Who am I…?" Your whisper is faint like a dying breeze. "What am I…?"

"A time traveler without a past? A player without a game?" It would be funny, if it wasn't so sad. "A murderer with no body count...?"

'You said you've changed and I…' your inner voice falters, 'I don't even know what I was like before I ended up in here... I'm so lost, Sans… I'm so, so lost…'

Your monster companion hums thoughtfully. 'well… to be fair. who you are to you… that's only for you to decide. but... i can tell you who you are to me.'

'...you're berry.' That's all that he says.

The pause lingers, but it can't be just it, right? Curiosity wins over the misery for a moment and you turn your head to look at him.

Like he was waiting exactly for that he closes his eye sockets and continues, 'you're that absurdly sweet and kind person that always stays cheerful and positive, excited about everything, determined to help as best as they can and open to see good in everyone.'

'i like that in you. and i don't want for you to lose any of that. ever,' he says calmly, each word warming up your tired soul.

'and- did you really forget what i've asked from ya?' You look at him with sad, confused expression. 'right. well. that's okay.'

'just... stay yourself, will ya? whatever that means.' He shrugs in a carefree manner. 'prolly doin' what you think is right.'

You would love to, but something doesn't quite add up. Each time you've tried to actually do something your way it always ended with failure. Ranging in scale and proportions, but still, there's barely any victories in that barrel of wrong turns and decisions.

Can "staying yourself" even be considered a good thing from this perspective?

"I…" You're about to respond with something fatalistic, but then you shake your head.

It's not the end of the world. Not until you allow that.

So what if you failed a couple of times? You died in the game too, but you kept going anyway. To see what's next, to fight, to befriend, to save. To find the answers…

Besides, it's not only about you, who you are and what you want. There are people, good people, that can really use your help. Like Sans, who depends on you and your determination.

You have to carry on, so instead of saying something stupidly logical you whisper, "I'll try..."

Sans smiles at you with light but genuine smile. 'now that's you a'right.'

It's hard for him to force back his fake lazy grin, you can feel it and he feels how hard it is for you to nip the urge to whine about your mistakes in its bud, but you both do your best, to make each other a little bit happier. 

'How long will we have to wait now? Another two months…?' you think mostly to yourself while lying on the couch, dangling one slipper at the end of your foot and staring at the ceiling. '...will they even try to came out this time?'

The answer turned out to be rather surprising.


	19. Chances and promises

They come out on the very next morning.

All covered in burns once again, shaking both from fear and cold weather but definitely alive, they're clutching their stick in one hand and waddle down the path, looking around even more intensely than before.

There's not going to be any surprise attacks this time. You wait near the goofy gates that Papyrus put up to stop the kind of humans he imagines in his head, blocking the only way to the rest of the Underground. Having literally no clue what to do you stand still and watch them approach, a tense ball of nerves and sorrows.

The forest creaks and rustles around you, whispering something. It feels like it wants to share some of its secrets or to warn you about the future yet to come, but you don't speak… forest.

The kid stops a few meters away, hunching under your drilling, heavy gaze.

'Who the heck are you…?' you think, trying to analyze this small underground intruder.

As you get a closer look on them now, when your mind thinks somewhat clearly, you notice that they look really weird. Sure they are pretty chubby, but even with that in mind the shape of their head is way too round, not to mention that their eyes are closed and their skin is an unnatural shade of yellow… ish. It's not as intense as the color in the game and still you have never seen a person that would look like this. Are they even human!?

But no. You saw their soul. It is a human soul, as much as yours. Maybe they were just born this way...?

You would think about literally anything right now, instead of actually talking with them, but that's enough time wasted.

"You have returned." With a slow, distant voice you try to seem menacing... but not too much. "After everything that happened..."

They think for a bit, but instead of saying anything they just nod.

"Why?" You push further. "What do you want?"

Rubbing their shoulder they shift from leg to leg still not saying anything. It's hard to tell if they even look at you, as their eyes remain closed in a calm expression.

The cold wind sweeps across, ruffling the fur of your jacket and the chestnut hair of this strange, silent child. The slightly faded red ribbon woven into their locks reminds you of a bullseye, practically asking for trouble.

"You know that you aren't exactly welcomed here, right?" One last attempt to get something out of them. "Aren't you afraid?"

They nod again and you sigh, thinking, 'What the heck am I supposed to do now...?'

When they were about to die, they asked you for a chance… But why did they change their mind? Could it be that Chara learned to regret their decisions? Or maybe Frisk took control back from them? Who is this person standing in front of you right now? One or the other? Because depending on the answer things can go very… differently.

An idea comes to mind. A stupid one, but an idea nonetheless - why not just ask?

"Tell me, kid." Your eye sockets squints suspiciously, ready to catch even the slightest reaction. "Is your name Frisk?"

They take a step back. Even though their expression barely changes you can see that they're surprised.

"I'll take that as "yes" then…" A new tidal wave of regret is looming above you, threatening to swallow you whole.

Looks like you really did kill Frisk. Of course they're okay now, but you hurt them, you hurt them very badly and the both of you seem to remember about that fact. How is this child can be so brave and\or foolish to confront you after what you've done?

Unless…

"Open your eyes," you say in a command tone, tensing even further, turning yourself into a wound up spring.

Terrified either by the change in your tone or by your demand they start to jitter - you can even catch the sound of the chattering teeth - and yet they refuse, shaking their head left and right.

"Open. Your. Eyes." The fear you feel forces you to act like a total jerk. From the side view you probably appear as a villain, growling low and menacing at the scared child, but you have to see. You have to be sure.

They bite their lips and you're about to start to yell when their eyelids tremble. Slowly, like it's hard to do for them, Frisk opens their eyes.

What you witness throws you into a deep, thorough state of shock and you start to seriously question your mental health.

Their eyes… Their eyes are... Red. But not just any red, no, they are absolutely, entirely red. No black pupils, no white around the iris... Only the pure crimson void that stares back at you.

"What the actual-" The last bit of this sentence sticks in your mouth as you hear the quick crunching of the snow somewhere behind your back. 'Papyrus!'

"Behind the building." You move aside to open up the pass and point at your station, barking out, "Now!"

To your unspeakable relief they immediately follow your demand, walking past you to the improvised hiding spot. You have no idea what you'd have had to do otherwise.

Positioning yourself so you could both talk with Papyrus and watch the kid you nod to the former, who had just arrived to cast you a disapproving look.

"Sup, bro?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT "SUP", BROTHER! IT'S BEEN NINE DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T... RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!"

Something clickes in your head upon hearing this phrase. It's the exact same scenario as in the game. Frisk, Sans, Papyrus, puzzles, puns…You've seen it a million times, you've read it a million times and now you stand among it, feeling your sanity crumbling apart.

Everything that has happened over the course of the multiple resets couldn't possibly not leave a lasting impact on you. It was piling up all this time, one thing on top of another, and this small scene serves as the last feather to the overburdened camel's back. There comes an urge to laugh, laugh like absolutely insane maniac but, through a heroic effort, you push it back.

Instead of acting crazy you respond word for word with the same shtik that Sans would say in the game. It helps that you know it by rote. Though you aren't exactly sure why you follow that, still, you're too afraid to do something else. As if the world itself will crash and collapse like a bugged game if something goes wrong.

With victorious laughter Paps wanders away as you stand still, trying to pull yourself together, breathing heavily, gaze searching around before you notice the kid you somehow managed to forget about. They've closed their eyes already, now crouching behind the station and scribbling something on the snow with their stick.

Those eyes…

'Sans, holy hell!' You can't hold yourself from swearing at least mentally. 'Have you seen THAT? Have you seen their EYES!?'

'yeah, what about them?' Sans asks carefully. He has been mostly silent this morning, though you constantly felt his worried presence.

'WHAT ABOUT THEM!?' You hiss and clench your fists trying to fight back an actual yell, so close are you to hysteria. 'They are red! They are VERY red!'

'khm… i have a couple of friends with red eyes,' he mumbles, baffled by your outburst. 'why?'

'You don't understand…' you whine, rubbing your face. 'Humans don't have red eyes! Especially that look like... THIS!'

'huh. okay. and how that's bad news for us?'

'I… I dunno…? I'm confused. I thought that Chara has red eyes… Somehow it makes sense, I guess, but Frisk...? Maybe… Maybe it's not Frisk after all? Just Chara tricking us…?'

'ya wanted to give them a chance regardless of whether it's chara or not, if i remember correctly,' Sans reminds you patiently, like he's talking with a stupid child and It pisses you off.

'Ugh, yes, I know… I know… Let's-' The actual child notices your stare, giving you an uncertain wave and you breathe out. 'Let's see how they will act and react down the road.'

"You can come out now." You gesture to them with your head and wait till they walk a bit closer. "That was my bro, Papyrus."

"He may come off as evil, wishing to capture humans and such, but he's not dangerous. The sweetest guy Underground, actually..." The already shaken fake smile on your face slowly distorts into something uneven.

"He wouldn't hurt a fly... even if that fly would aim for his neck..." As you talk control is slipping out of your hold and you feel something building up inside of you.

The world turns black and white.

"But You Know That Already, Don't You?"

The kid jolts away and you blink, returning the lights back to your eye sockets and the colors to your sight. How you managed to do that trick or to replicate Sans' creepy voice is beyond you.

The even stranger thing, however, is Sans' reaction to it. You can sense the echo of his emotions and he's… terrified? He's lost in a silent state of panic somewhere on the outskirts of your mind and you just don't get it. Without a doubt that was weird, but why is he so terrified by you using his spooky voice? That can't be right. Looks like you really are going insane.

Meanwhile, the target of your outburst scrunches their face, then their shoulders start to twitch... and now they're sobbing.

'Great. I wanted a reaction? I've got a reaction! I've made a child cry...' you howl mentally, covering your eye sockets in irritation and shame.

Feeling terrible, lost and conflicted you peek above your palm to see them bravely gulping down the tears overflowing from their closed eyes. Trying to remain cold and distant is so damn hard right now, when your very nature screams to run to that kid, hug them and ask for their forgiveness. But... what if they just stabbed you in the back?

As much as you want to stop playing with your own instincts, you can't afford that risk. You and Sans are the only one who have both the knowledge and the power to potentially stop Flowey and Chara, so the fate of the whole Underground depends on you staying alive.

Not to mention that dying again isn't something you would put in your nearest plans.

While you struggle with yourself, the kid shuffles away to the river, sniffling into their hands. You do not follow, letting them be alone for now.

A quick examination of the place they were sitting all the time you were talking to Papyrus leads to a discovery that pricks your soul like a giant needle.

They drew a picture in the snow: cute, smiling Toriel's face.

And now you're about to cry as well.

"a-are you alright?" Sans' voice is shaken but so is your condition.

"I've read enough comics to know where this is going…" you mutter stubbornly, desperately trying to to take ahold of your emotions.

'comics...?'

Should you even try to explain that you've read the exact same scenario in fanfiction? Where Chara fools everyone, including Sans, into trusting them by pretending to be the innocent and harmless Frisk only to strike at the most vulnerable moment? He would probably say "it's just a fantasy" or something along those lines.

"UGH! Never miiind," you resort to groaning in response.

'last time i checked you weren't the paranoid type.' His tone calms down even though his concern for you keeps growing. 'what's up?'

'Air, rocks, some more air,' you think, smiling a crooked smile. '...a little bit of magic you monsters call "The Barrier".'

Sans gives you "the look" - the one he reserves for when you slip into unnecessary sarcasm - and you breathe out, 'I... I guess I just can't accept it…'

'accept what?'

Gritting your teeth you stare into the ground. You don't really want to answer that question.

'berry...?'

"It's freaking unfair, alright!?" you finally snap, yelling into the empty space.

The woods catches your voice and tosses it around from tree to tree like a ping-pong ball.

'I was waiting for Chara but got Frisk! I was expecting a long battle and it ended in a few seconds! I was ready to take a hit again but I definitely wasn't ready to hurt…' Your angry inner rant transforms into something way more sad. 'to hurt… an innocent child…'

'And I don't want to allow even a tiny bit of a chance of Chara tricking us…' you mumble, feeling exhausted already, even though it's only the beginning of the day. 'I must prevent this, I must…'

'well... they seem harmless enough.' Sans shrugs, much to your annoyance. Why is he so assured all of the sudden? 'their aura clearly shows fear and guilt, so if th-'

'Wait-wait-wait!' Your attention locks onto the both familiar and unfamiliar word. 'Aura? What aura? What are you talking about?'

Sans blinks and frowns. 'don't tell me ya can't see the auras. everyone can do that.'

'This is literally the first time I've heard anything about that.' You roll your eyes. This is really not the time for pranks.

'uh... it's, like, kindergarten level of knowledge…?' he stops as you glare at him, not amused in the slightest. 'i'll explain later. i think it's time to move.'

Of course as soon as you stop looking they've got into a battle.

The whirls of violent winds turned the usually calm clearing into the eye of a snowstorm in which stands one freezing child and one cocky snowdrake.

The latter puffs up his feathers and squawks at his opponent, who's trying to shield their face from the sharp snowflakes, "I'm! I'm going to be big in snow business!"

After that, something happens that causes the small magical blizzard to slowly die down.

Snowy flaps his wings, blurting out, "Ha-ha! LAUGHS! I knew dad was wrong!

Then he toddles away on his funny bird legs, leaving the smiling kid to rub their shoulders and dance around in an attempt to warm up. At least they aren't crying anymore. That's probably a good sign.

Head pressed to the pine trunk, you stand and watch, still unsure of what should you do, while Frisk - or not? One can only hope it is Frisk - notices the box beside the sign and opens it, shoving their hand inside. Pulling out something pink - the tough glove, you assume - they gave it an analyzing stare but then, for some reason, they shiver and put it back.

'They are so weird…' you think, shaking your head.

'why?'

You don't elaborate, for you aren't exactly sure yourself. They're just... strange. The red eyes are one thing, but the way they move and the way they act, it's all so unfamiliar, almost uncannily so… Or maybe you just got used to seeing monsters so much that humans have become something abnormal to you? Who knows.

Meanwhile, they move forward down the road and you get yourself ready, thinking, 'Snowdin act 2, goofy skelebros. Here we go.'

If you had thought that they were weird before, now you're most certain of it.

They never run. Literally. Even when monsters attack them the kid either takes everything standing still - like they did with Doggo - or by walking around - like they did with Ice Cap. And the walking itself is more like dancing, especially while dodging. The pirouettes and twirls they can do are amazing. For someone with their build they sure are graceful as all heck.

When they're especially excited and giddy they start to skip around - like they skipped through the Papyrus' invisible maze once he left his footprints all over it. That… might not be too weird for a child, but what's so exciting in their situation?

Your bets are darting between Chara merely pretending to be a normal human being and Frisk just being… Frisk.

And this person - whoever they are - sure is frisky. Right now, they're flirting with the nice cream seller, waving to him playfully with the fingers of a hand pressed to their cheek. He laughs cheerfully in response, taking it as a joke. You would take that as a joke too, in his spot. They're what…? Nine? Maybe ten. It's hard to tell for sure, but regardless they seem pretty young.

After they're done messing with the blue bunny they stroll to you, holding a wrapped cone of ice cream in each hand. You stay out in the open, waiting and watching as their steps are getting slower and more careful as they approach, as if they walked onto the thin ice. Getting close enough Frisk stretches their hand, offering the treat to you.

You look intently at it, casting aside the idea of attempted poisoning as ridiculous and say, "Welp. I'm on a seafood diet."

"Everytime I see food - I eat it." With that you take the gift, winking to the smiling child.

It might be that you're seeing the things that you want to see, but… there's something deeply apologetic in that smile.

They put the remaining dessert in one of their pockets and went to investigate the ball game. The game itself is nothing to write home about. It's just some ice, a hole in the ground and an enchanted ball of snow that's supposed to go into that hole, but for some reason it's considered a popular game among Underground dwellers. It even has its own tax to support the prize money.

The first time they kick the snow lump they don't get how it works, watching with confusion as the sphere melts away. The next time, however, they push it carefully and get it into the hole just in a few gentle touches. When the green flag raises from the ground, hole spewing one golden coin into the snow, their face lights up.

It seems that they're going to stuck here for a long time.

While they're having fun with the game, you can't stop itching. There's a feeling you can't get rid of that forces you to look around in a sudden fit of paranoia. A feeling like while you're spying on the kid someone distant is observing your every step as well. It's uncomfortable to the point of goose bumps...

On bones!

And the reason for your discomfort is understandable. Everything is going pretty much like in the game as long as you follow the script. What if you were wrong when you had decided that it's the real world? What if this IS the game you remember!? What if there is a player that is staring at the computer screen right now with you standing in the corner…?

You share this thought with Sans adding nervously, 'Do you think it's worth a shot to try and communicate with them?'

'uh… if you ask me,' he crosses his arms and casts you a funny look, 'i think that's pretty silly.'

'But it would explain so much! Like what if they did genocide as their first run abandoning it at S- On us... And then they reset and just forgot about the game for a while. If this is true then all we need is to convince them that we're real and-' Something seems off in your own words.

'Alright, that does sound pretty silly', you have to admit after you think again.

No one acts like game characters in here. As lively as everyone seemed in Undertale you can still pretty much tell it's just a game, but here it's different… At least you hope that it's different.

'Anyway…' You decide to slide onto another subject. 'We have the time now. Mind explaining what you were talking about back there?'

Sans knows you well enough and he understands that you won't let him go without explanations, so he chuckles and sighs, accepting his educational fate. 'okay, lemme grab my teacher's glasses then.'

Taking advantage from the benefit of being connected to your imagination he snatches comically huge glasses out of the thin air and pins them onto his face.

'listen up class!' The comical skeleton adjusts his pink goggles and begins to talk, 'basically, the aura is the print of the soul left in the prana and-'

'Uhu. Prana. Rrright...' you think sarcastically, interrupting him.

'wow, humans really did forget everythin' about magic, didn't they?'

All you can do is spread your arms in bewilderment.

'it's the life force of the body that comes straight from the soul,' he explains patiently, 'it works pretty much like mana, except mana is the basic magical energy, while prana is that last reserve that keeps you alive. if you deplete it - that's it. you're done.'

'in the case of most monsters and judging by that skater over there,' he gestures at the kid who just made an intricate maneuver that resulted in them landing onto their soft spot, 'for humans as well - it's persist 'round the body and the light of the soul shines from it like from prism, creating complex patterns. if you're good enough you can read many things about the person from their aura.'

'Like what?' you ask, failing to hide your curiosity.

'like the mood, both physical and mental condition, how strong and tough they are, etc.'

'So it's basically like the "Check" action, huh…' Now it's Sans' turn to look confusedly at you, tilting down his head and lowering the glasses. 'Never mind. I think I've heard something about reading auras but I was pretty sure it's what charlatans do.'

'nope. that's what everyone can do.'

'Except me, apparently…' It's not like you have to know this things, you've never been to the monster kindergarten after all, but you can't help feeling slightly dumb.

'well... we master it over our entire life. most eventually learn to see the auras, but not everyone can read them properly. it's both science and art.'

'And you are…?' There's a suspicion that you already know exactly what he's good at.

'he-heh,' Sans chuckles and informs you with a slight dose of pride, 'don't mean to brag but reading faces, i mean, facial auras, s'my knack.'

You snap your fingers, the sound turned out to be enjoyably loud. 'So THAT'S how you do it! Gotcha!'

'yeah. so unless they are a master illusionist or top notch actor i'd say they're clear.'

'But what if they ARE all these things?' You raise both of your arms trying to show just how hard it is for you to believe their red eyes. This gesture looks rather silly.

'the chances of that are rather slim.' Sans shrugs simply, like this conversation is all about the weather and not about a potential threat to everyone down here.

'How can you be so trusting!?' You howl, failing to understand your friend despite his explanations. 'What's got into you?'

'ha... no, don't get me wrong, i don't trust them at all. they've killed my brother once before and this is not something i'm going to... glance over.' The eerie look on his face and the tone of his voice catches you off guard.

'but the truth is truth.' The monster relaxes as if nothing ever happened. 'kid doesn't seem like a threat now.'

'you want them to be on our side, toriel wants them to be safe, papyrus wouldn't like for anyone to get hurt either, so it's temptin' to believe they're good.' Right. He did give a promise to keep save any human coming out of the Ruins. 'but if you think they might be tricking us, then sure. let's be careful 'bout that. and also... do keep an eye socket out for papyrus, a'right? just in case…'

You cover you face with your palm and smile, letting out a quiet sigh. Now that's more like it.

Not actually hiding your presence from your spying target, you openly follow them around, even if from a decent range. Noticing that they keep ending up a few meters away, casting quick apologetic glances and listening to your jokes like they would be a part of their future exams.

'tell 'em that one 'bout the icing on the cake.' Your comedic coach suggests, when the small curious widdle startles you once again with their sudden appearance.

'Stop that,' you grumble, unamused, reflexively searching for the glint of red in kid's eyes even though they're keeping them closed shut. 'I'm telling jokes every other minute already, I'm not going to bombard them with ice puns.'

'hey, why not? i'm sure they're going to love them. those are classic.'

You roll your eyes, 'More like… ancient.'

'well… yeah.' The tone of his voice gives you a funny feeling that it's not going to end well. 'pretty sure they came from the ice age.'

'Sans.'

'so you're tellin' me they don't entice you?' pal, that's not nice. i might even say it's pretty cold.'

'Sans I swear to GOD!'

'no-no, ice-e the problem. we just need to break the ice between ya and the ice puns.'

'Ughhh! I give up…' At the moment you're seriously considering putting up a monument in honor of Papyrus' patience to not commit a fratricide. Hearing the same puns every single day for two months was a bit tiring. Listening to them for years is probably... infuriating.

You have no time to tell jokes anyway for there's another encounter awaiting just behind the corner. This time it's a whole bunch of enemies surrounding the child from every direction.

Frisk ducks to the side and a projectile whistles past their shoulder, hitting a tree. Giggling, they send a snowball back into the crowd and it scatters in every direction like colorful beads accidentally dropped on the floor. Laughing, the monsters are aiming their snowy assault at the human and at each other.

In the two months you were roaming around Underground you've learned about quite a few of your neighbors so you recognize these small bandits. The bunny twins from the town - Luppy and Leppy, and Snowy with his friends. Looks like they have found a foe of their own caliber and there is no imminent danger to anyone, but you are still feeling worried. For Frisk, for these monster kids, for Papyrus, for everyone. There's too much worry for one being and one day.

The process of your worrying, however, is quite suddenly interrupted.

Someone's stray snowball you hadn't noticed till it's too late, comes flying like a small cannon ball and splats against your chest with a gentle smack. It wouldn't be too bad - it's just a bit of snow thrown by a child - if not for what comes after the impact...

In a set of flashes you're blinded by the yellow light and the red glow, the chirping of the birds and the insane laughter rings through your skull, and the scent of flowers and dust attempts to suffocate you, even though you have no lungs. Time repeats itself inside of your head as the wretched crimson knife blade crushes your ribs and crushes your soul into the burning streak of pain.

Only after a few highly unpleasant moments do these visions fade away, being slowly replaced by reality. Your straighten you back, clutching your aching chest to see that kids has stopped their game, staring at you a with mix of fear, confusion and worry.

Not quite fully controlling your actions you sit down and grab a fistfull of snow. It's soothingly cool to the touch, melting slowly in your hand. You roll it into a snowball and even though slick bony digits are making it an unhandy task, it doesn't cause much trouble, for you had some practice before

You take a comfortable stance and nod to the children, smiling in a taunting way, letting them know that there's a new challenger for the title of the best snow fighter.

The echoing laughs and giggles fills the forest once again. The kids are running around, switching sides, trying to build a snow fort only to attempt to destroy it in a matter of minutes, gathering and trampling the snow around the area. Frisk is playing as well, though you notice that they're deliberately trying not to aim in your direction, which is definitely nice of them.

God knows what drove you to participate in this childish "battle", but as turns out it was a good idea after all. You can practically feel stress leaving your mind with every snowball that you sent flying, regardless of if it hits anything or not, as well as your smile turning genuine seeing these youngsters having their simple, contagious fun.

Unfortunately, the play time runs out rather soon.

Another wild snow missile lands right between the eyes of the ufo-shaped monster, who's too busy texting on the phone to pay any mind to the unexpected hit got Jerry to flop onto the ground, blinking confusedly. His friends burst out laughing, but then the green grump began to nag so annoyingly about the situation that in just a couple of minutes everyone seems to recall that they have an unfinished business somewhere else.

Feeling far more energized and positive than you have felt in awhile you continue your quest to watch over Frisk and while at it you just can't help but warm up to them. They are so full of energy, sticking their nose everywhere, solving every puzzle even if they fail a dozen times, being kind to every monster, petting every dog and not using their stick for anything even remotely harmful.

Looks like they're aimed to stay pacifist this time around. Even if the danger to them is very real.

"(Who's there?)" The cloaked figure whispers, alarmed when the carelessly running human bumped into it.

"Show yourself!" Her companion barks outs, preparing for battle.

You were wondering when this lovely dog couple would show themselves and it looks like they were on a patrol today, popping up only near the bridge to the town. Except it's not a very happy meeting.

The two easily excited, near-sighted, axe-wielding canines are a killer combination and even though the kid figures out that they need to roll around to obscure their scent, they can hardly dodge the attacks of these clumsy "drunken" masters. Now Frisk is lying face in the snow as the weapon in Dogaressa's paws aims at the spot they're at.

The blade flies a hair away past child's neck and you feel your legs weakening. There's no way you'll be able to just stand still and watch them get axed. For better or worse you decide to act.

Teleporting closer to the unfolding skirmish you immediately create the squeaky rubber bone and press it as soon as it forms in your hand. The wheezing cry of the toy pierces the air and both dogs cock their heads in sync, freezing in awkward poses.

"Did you hear that?"

"(I don't know what it was, but…)"

"It sounds so…"

"(Alluring…)"

You throw the bone as far away as you can and the dogs forget about everything rushing to catch it, burrowing through the snowbanks.

Soon enough, the kid gets that the danger is gone and raises from the ground, shaking off the dirty snow from their clothes.

"You ok there?" you ask just to make sure you've made it in time and they aren't injured.

Frisk pats themselves, checking for any missing part and puts up a thumb. Then they look at you. Then at the trail left in the snow when the dogs had disappeared. Then back at you.

Their face lights up with realization.

"Don't give me that look..." you shift uncomfortably under their stare full of cheerful gratitude.

Gingerly they come a bit closer and you stiffen. "I helped you, yeah, but don't th- UHH!?"

They connect their palms together, making a shape of a heart and smile at you, shyly tilting their head.

"Pf… Pffff…" Are they seriously flirting with you right now!?

Amused by your reaction they giggle cheekily and ran away to the bridge, leaving you in a stupor.

'ya know what, berry?' Sans snorts, barely containing his laughter. 'i think i'm starting to like that squirt.'

All you manage is letting out another confused huff in response.

The rest of the way to Snowdin doesn't cause much trouble, the gauntlet over the painted bridge is safely moved away and you're left one on one with Frisk once again.

"So…" you begin slowly, eyeing the child standing in front of you. "Papyrus won't stop now. He WILL fight you. He doesn't really want to, but... he will."

"You wanna hear advice for battling him?" Before they could respond you lower you voice as much as you're able to, blurting out just one single word, "...don't."

The kid gulps down nervously and gives you a frantic nod.

It probably was a cruel move from your side and you certainly feel bad about it, but you can't allow even one single thought in the head of this kid for harming your bro. You catch yourself actually thinking about Papyrus as your brother and shake your head.

"Look, I'm sorry... But you understand why I can't trust you, right?" you ask for some reason, unsure of what are you even hoping to achieve with that question.

They turn away, chewing on their lower lip and when they look back, something has changed in their expression.

There's something firm in this wrinkle between their eyebrows as they open their mouth and whisper with the same quiet, tiny voice you've heard only once before, "I promise."

A quick image blinks in your mind. Red-colored snow, the thick smell of copper and a quiet plea in the silence.

Struggling with yet another awful flashback you still find it in you to try and specify, "Promise w-what...?"

"I won't hurt anyone."

'This kid... I swear to jeebus this kid is tearing me apart!' you cry out mentally, not knowing what to do, what to say or even how to feel.

"I… I sure hope so," you finally squeeze out an audible response and after a small hesitation you even make an attempt at encouraging nod. "Good luck with that..."


	20. Make it double

The town sure is lively today. There's your usual assortment of fuzzy neighbors and other familiar folk, like that weird bunny lady walking with the tiny bun-bun on a leash or the bear brothers chatting about the local politics. You stand and look around, waiting for Frisk to come out of the irresistible Snowdin shop that lures in the customers with a promise of warmth and an enticing aroma of freshly baked cinnamon buns.

Suddenly, you encounter someone who usually stays at home.

"Any luck?" grumbles the yellow dinosaur, with black back scales and a cool-looking coat as he walks past you.

For a moment you think he's talking to you, but turning your head reveals that he stopped before a huge white snake monster.

"No sssight," the snake sighs, adjusting her long, heavy scarf with the tip of her tail.

"Oh just let me find them, I'll-"

"Brontessss…" The blue forked tongue shows up for a moment, quickly going back inside the squishy muzzle. "You seem to consstanly forget that you've been like them yourssself."

"That's the point!" The irritated dino stomps his foot and you can swear the ground beneath your feet shakes slightly. "I know exactly how many troubles I've gotten into and caused."  
"But it helped you to grow sso big and ssstrong."

The playful hiss, accompanied by a flirtatious wink, seem to calm Brontes down and he laughs, showing an array of sharp teeth. "You always knows what to say, you giant book worm."

"Shhh... You flatterer."

These two seriously need to get a room.

The scaly couple wanders off and soon enough the kid exits the shop, instantly coming closer. You push aside an urge to dart away, but still can't help stiffening up, hands balling into fists inside of your jacket's pockets. Standing by your side, Frisk studies a sloppy drawing of a muscular torso on their latest purchase that the previous owner probably painted themself. Instead of replacing the ribbon with it, like you unconsciously expect them to do, they just tie the brown piece of fabric around their neck.

Caught by surprise, you blink and snort into your hand. They looks so silly in a baggy striped sweater and a goofy bandana, topped with a bow on their head. Somehow this sight completely grounds you. You can't equip two pieces of "armour" in the game. That's just not how the game works.

Well... Minus one thing to worry about.

Not noticing your reaction, they stroll through the town, past the houses and their inhabitants, past the turn to the river and the Librarby. Sounds coming out of the open door to the bar catch their attention, but as soon as they look inside they quickly retreat. Guess seeing so many monsters at one time can be a bit intimidating.

Your house gets only a couple of glances out of them and throwing one last look at you, like seeking for your support and reassurance but not really finding it, the child hurriedly proceeds forward into the fog.

Fog. Right. That can be a problem. It's hard to see a damn thing in this wide wall of white, not to mention monitoring a fight.

You teleport to the end of the foggy area and your smile turns a bit more genuine. Paps is a smart cookie after all. He waits right here, trying to catch any approaching silhouettes in the swirly milky stew. Unnoticed, you join him in waiting.

It doesn't take long before the loud and clear voice disturbs the silence, "THERE YOU ARE, HUMAN! I WAS WAITING FOR YOU!"

"OF COURSE YOU ARE DYING TO SPEND SOME MORE TIME AROUND SUCH A COOL GUY LIKE ME!", he declares, posing dramatically for Frisk to take in his coolness.

"THE PASSION WITH WHICH YOU SOLVED MY PERFECT PUZZLES AND AVOIDED MY TREACHEROUS TRAPS, WHILE LISTENING TO MY AVID ADVICE IS MOST CERTAINLY ADMIRABLE!"

"UNDYNE MIGHT HAVE TAUGHT ME THAT ALL HUMANS ARE MALICIOUS BEINGS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE SHE IS MISTAKEN. FOR YOU ARE A VERY NICE BEING!"

"YOU MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY MISGUIDED BY MY BROTHER, WHO CAN BE A BAD INFLUENCE AT TIMES... BUT! I AM SURE THERE IS NOTHING THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN'T FIX!"

"SO FRET NOT, HUMAN! I CAN BE TWICE AS NICE AS YOU ARE AND THEREFORE I WILL BE… YOUR…"

"...THOUGH, UNDYNE ALSO SAID THAT HUMANS CAN BE CUNNING…"

"IS THAT TRUE? ARE YOU CUNNING?" The amount of naivety in his voice is soul crushing.

"I SEE A SHADOW OF DOUBT IN YOUR EXPRESSION," Papyrus proclaims after a minute of staring into the fog. "GUESS I SHOULD CAPTURE YOU TILL THIS QUESTION IS SETTLED!"

The slight bits of fog retreat as if by a fit of magic - which is probably the case - and the fight commences. Well, if you can really call it a fight… Both of the combatants seem to be standing at the same spots while the skeleton sends tiny little bones that slide slowly to miss their target by an inch or two.

You feel anxious. Sure it was going smoothly so far, just as Sans' said, and everyone seems to want to be friends here, but if these two end up hurting each other in your line of sight... you aren't sure what you will do. You don't wish any harm on the kid and especially don't want any for Papyrus. This silly skeleton really is your bro after all. Maybe not in a real brotherly way, but in a "friendly" way that's for sure.

Frisk seems to grow bored of watching these feeble attempts of attack on them. They coyly kick the snowy dirt beneath them, which gains Papyrus' attention and then they smooch their palm, blowing on it shortly after, sending their opponent an aerial kiss.

The skeleton's jaw goes slack.

"F-FLIRTING!?" he stutters in bewilderment, though his wide eye sockets immediately narrow down to slits. "IS… IS THAT YOUR STRATEGY OF LOWERING MY DEFENCE? NO…? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS! IT WILL TAKE A LOT MORE FROM YOU TO PIQUE MY INTEREST!"

The cheeky kid spreads their arms, as if to show that they want a hug or the length of the fish they can catch, as well as making a heart-wrenchingly sad puppy-eyed expression.

"AGH! THE PUPPY STARE! THAT'S CHEATING! I… I CAN'T RESIST! IT'S TOO EFFECTIVE!" Papyrus screeches in a manner that you can only assume is supposed to hide his shyness. "I GUESS THAT MEANS THAT WE WILL HAVE TO GO ON A DATE!?"

"VERY WELL THEN..." he blurts after a brief hesitation.

The child claps their hands excitedly.

"BUT NOT BEFORE I CAPTURE YOU!"

Frisk's face loses its smile as they watch another small bone approaching. They probably feel a little bit betrayed, but still, they don't move from their spot.

"SO YOU ARE DETERMINED TO SIMPLY STAND THERE? GOOD! THAT WILL MAKE MY JOB EASIER… YET I WON'T GO EASY ON YOU!" The long white bone shoots up out of the ground, caught mid-air by the skeletal hand. "PREPARE YOURSELF TO FACE MY FABLED "BLUE ATTACK"!"

Papyrus sways his improvised weapon like a baton, conducting his incoming assault and the air around him turns bright blue from all the magical bones now floating in there. He hastily sends them forward and the barrage goes by, not impressing the kid in the slightest.

Seeing this, Papyrus makes a gesture you recognize, as you did it few times yourself. He stretches his arm forward, as if he wants to grab the child and pulls the air forcing them to flinch slightly, as their soul escapes their chest. The red color of the soul remains as such just for a moment before it changes into a deep shade of azure. The kid's figure hunches down, as if someone put a huge sack of potatoes on their shoulders. Confused by this, they fail to notice an exceptionally small bone crawling silently towards them, knocking them off their feet and sending them flying face-first into the snow.

"YOU ARE BLUE NOW! THAT'S MY ATTACK!" Papyrus bursts out laughing, overshadowing the gasp that escapes your mouth.

Seeing Frisk falling down onto the bone is not something that can leave you calm and collected. The fact that Papyrus picked up the speed and size of his attacks doesn't help either. His small opponent is forced to dodge the best they can, despite being oppressed by gravity.

"YOU ARE VERY STRONG, HUMAN! AND YOUR DODGING SKILLS ARE EXCEPTIONAL! WHEN I DEFEAT YOU, UNDYNE WILL BE SO PROUD OF ME!" The skeleton is so caught up in his own rant he doesn't even notice that some bones hurt the kid pretty badly.

Though Frisk somehow proves to be excellent at dodging, which is brow raising considering that they never run and had to fight at least a couple dozen times today, the weariness is starting to show its signs. You feel sick seeing the blood dripping onto the snow when yet another bone scratches them.

'I can't look at this anymore!" you whine quietly, "I have to do something!'

Your magic is boiling, ready for action, but you have no idea what to do. It's not like Papyrus would just stop fighting if you told him to do so.

'easy now. relax. put a lil bit more faith into my brother. I'm sure he knows what he's doing.'

You grit your teeth from the overwhelming worry that you feel, but you have to agree. It's Papyrus. He can't bring himself to harm anybody. He's even worse of a fighter than you are in terms of actually fighting back. If anything, it's him you have to worry about, not Frisk.

Coincidence or not, he finally seems to notice that the kid isn't doing so great. The blue shine of their soul combined with the yellow shade of their skin makes their face look green. Their legs are wobbling under the pressure of the increased gravitational pull as they're cradling their scratched hand, holding it close to their chest.

"STILL STANDING, EH? EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE WOUNDED…" Papyrus lets out a worried "NYEH" but then frowns and stomp his boot, sending a new wave of bones and shouting, "WHY WON'T YOU SURRENDER TO ME!? I AM THE GREATEST CAPTURER ANYONE CAN BE CAPTURED BY! ALL OF THIS CAN BE AVOIDED IF YOU JUST GIVE UP!"

"THAT'S IT! NO MORE PLAYING AROUND!" His patience expires when this attack gets dodged too. "THE TIME HAS COME FOR MY SPECIAL ATTACK. SO GET READY!"

The kid takes their time to catch their breath as Papyrus freezes in place, staring unblinkingly in front of him. You recognize that concentrated stare.

Is he really going to…?

Minute after minute passes by, beads of sweat sliding down the monster's skull as the human watches, politely waiting for what's going to happen next when suddenly… Papyrus' concentration drops.

"I… I CAN'T… I CAN'T DO THIS. IT IS WAY TOO DANGEROUS!" he mutters under his breath, though it's still loud enough for everyone around to hear.

"Y-YEAH! YOU WOULD BE ANNIHILATED, DEVASTATED BY SUCH AN ATTACK AND THAT WOULD BE UNSPORTSMANLIKE!" It would be funny, if that was his usual over exaggerated bragging… Still kind of funny though.

"YOU DON'T EVEN FIGHT! SO WHY... WHY DO YOU KEEP RESISTING?" Papyrus is panting. Even though he didn't end up using any of his special attacks, he exhausted himself as well.

Frisk, realizing there would be no more attacks, start to shuffle towards the tired skeleton.

"OH-HO! I SEE YOU'RE COMING CLOSER! SO… YOU FINALLY AIM TO STRIKE?" The latter perks up, straightening his back and his shoulders, standing proudly as both you and Sans grow tense. "WELL, DO YOUR WORST!"

They dart to him.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN TAKE ANY-!"

"OH."

Shivering and sobbing, Frisk hugs Papyrus.

"I... YOU..." the skeleton stutters, looking down at the child crying into his chest.

He awkwardly pats their back and mutters, "I MUST APOLOGIZE. I DID NOT WISH TO MAKE YOU CRY, HUMAN. I JUST WANTED TO CAPTURE YOU, THAT'S ALL."

You hear a faint whisper further overshadowed by a shout from Papyrus, "YOU STILL WANT TO BE FRIENDS!? WOWIE! OF… OF COURSE I WILL BE YOUR FRIEND!"

Looks like it's your cue to come out.

"Sup?"

"SANS! ABOUT TIME YOU SHOWED UP! THE HUMAN AND I ARE FRIENDS NOW!"

"That's fantastic," you blurt out. The relief you feel at this moment is hard to put to words.

Frisk looks genuinely terrible, barely standing straight, but definitely happy with the ending results of the battle. They could use some magic food though.

"They're probably hungry from all the fighting. Right, kid?"

"THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL! YOU SEE, THEY FLIRTED WITH ME SO WE'RE GOING ON A DATE AND I'M GOING TO FE... WHOOPSY-DOOPSY! ALMOST SPOILED A SURPRISE. NYEH HEH HEH.'

You have a slight doubt that finely aged spaghetti can improve anyone's condition so in return for not hurting Papyrus you decide to try and spare Frisk from the trial with food.

"Actually... The kid kinda flirted with me too."

"REALLY? WOWIE, THEY HAVE NO STANDARDS AFTER ALL!"

Ouch.

"Heheh," you laugh at the silly thought that visits your skull. "Well, what about we go on a double date? For double the fun."

"OH? THAT SOUND LIKE A WONDERFUL IDEA!" All of a sudden you feel uneasy, is it a coincidence or did he learn that phrase from Flowey...?

"Uh... I know, right? And I have just the place..."

"NO."

"Where we could…"

"NO!"

"Hang out together…?"

"NO WE ARE **NOT** GOING TO GRILLBY'S!"

"Aww, c'mon. That's a pretty nice _joint._ " You can't resist making a pun that Sans shared with you some time ago.

"SAAANS YOU'RE GOING TO EMBARRASS US IN FRONT OF MY NEW FRIEND!"

"But what if they want to go there?"

"WELL! WHY DON'T WE ASK THEM THEN!"

"HUMAN!" Papyrus looks down at the kid. "DO YOU WANT TO GO THE AWFUL GREASE HOLE FILLED WITH DISTASTE AND SMOKE OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE COOLEST PLACE UNDER EARTH!?"

Frisk tilts their head, thinking intently. They're still clinging tightly to the armored chest, probably because their legs are still shaking. There is silence as you and the bros are genuinely intrigued what they're going to pick.

"Grillbys?" they half-state, half-ask and you feel both kind of glad that they choose your suggestion and kind of sad that Papyrus' option was cast aside.

All of you make your way back to the town. Frisk's face is beaming all the while and this expression simply melts your soul. You should take better grip on your emotions, because at the moment you're failing miserably at this, while the kid might just be playing you like a damn fiddle. Though in your defense, if they are playing you, then they're doing it like a maestro.

You push the door open and hold it for the others to come in. Papyrus reluctantly enters, followed by Frisk who, for some reason, is hiding behind their new friend, looking kind of scared. Huh. Why would they even want to go here if they're afraid?

"Hey Grillbz." You flop onto your usual chair and snap your fingers to get the bartender's attention. "Bring us a plate of whatever. Oh! And one milkshake!"

"IS THIS FOR THE… THE CHILD?" Papyrus corrects himself as he sits down and you have to throw him a surprised glance. Might be a bit too late for the conspiracies though.

"Yep. The food is. But it's too cold for them to be drinking the milkshake. This stuff is for you."

"EW, NO! I WILL NOT BE DRINKING ANYTHING BUT SIMPLE MILK!"

"But bro. It IS milk. It's just… better. C'mon, give it a try." You push the cup that Grillby carefully placed before you to Paps.

"OH ALRIGHT, BUT DON'T GET UPSET WHEN I DON'T LIKE IT!"

He crosses his arms in front of him and catches the straw with his teeth, taking a sip. After a few seconds, the twinkling of tiny stars light up in his eye sockets and then he finishes his drink in less than a minute.

"W… WOWIE. THAT'S… THAT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD! WHY HAVE I NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE?"

"I dunno." You shrug with a mischievous smile. "Why _have_ you never tried it before?"

"UGH… YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU HAVE FUN IN HERE AND I'LL GO ON AHEAD. I STILL NEED TO… MEET. SOMEONE."

"HERE!" Papyrus hastily scribbles down some numbers on a napkin and offers it to the kid. "HAVE MY PHONE NUMBER SO YOU CAN CALL ME ANY TIME. LIKE WHEN YOU WANT SOME REAL TALK AND NOT JUST A BUNCH OF NUISANCE!"

Frisk eagerly snatches the piece of paper from the gloved hand, giving a smiley nod. This seems to cheer Paps up and he walks away, startling the bar visitors with his loud signature laughter.

You and the kid are left alone. You feel kind of bad for ruining the play date for these two, but who knows, maybe it's better like this.

The food takes some time to arrive and you decide this is as good time as any to ask a couple of questions. "Frisk, huh… So I reckon you've met the talking flower?"

They shiver slightly, turning away. After a moment you realize that they're looking somewhere else. You follow their stare and notice that they're eyeing Biggie - the big-mouthed Venus flytrap monster sitting peacefully at their table.

"Wait. Is that who you're afraid of? Kid…" you huff quietly. "That's not Flowey."

They swing their head back and forth taking glances both at you and the toothy monster. The latter seems to notice and raises their tendril-like hand to wave to the kid. Frisk hesitantly waves back. Hopefully they believe you now.

After this is settled you continue your interrogation. "When was the last time you saw Flowey? Have you seen him… like, you know… this time?"

They shake their head.

"Last time?"

Head shake again.

"Right…" you say, confused. "Just tell me one thing, kid… That whole deal with… fighting..."

Their face scrunches and you quickly suggest, "It wasn't you?"

They nod fiercely.

"Is there... any guarantee that it won't happen again?"

The silent, empty stare is your answer.

"I want to trust you, Frisk, I really do, but-"

"I promised."

You chuckle, nervously rubbing between your eye sockets. "Yes… You did."

Feeling that it's time, Grillby brings a big plate of fries and Frisk concentrates their full and hungry attention on eating as you delve ravenously into your thoughts.

'I'm so confused, Sans! I don't know what to do...' you have to admit to your partner. 'What should we do with them? I still have no idea.'

'i can only suggest to roll forward,' Sans suggests in his usual calm manner. 'though…'

'Though what?'

'you're so soft, berry.' He chuckles as if he made a joke.

'I... uh…'

'i mean, there haven't been any serious fights they've gotten into yet, ya know that, right? and you're already biting your fingers down to the elbows.'

'That's not helping…'

'sorry.'

You sigh. 'I just can't help but to root for this kid... Just look at them!'

At the moment they are rearranging the remaining bits of fries on their plate into a pattern of a cartoony sun.

'Akh! How am I supposed to stay detached when they're acting like this!?'

'eheheh,' Sans laughs softly. 'don't worry. you're not the only one who grows these roots.'

The situation hasn't cleared in the slightest and you still have a lot of questions, but you kind of doubt Frisk has any answers to them or will give them even if they do know something. A few minutes pass in silence and then you notice that they're looking at the door.

"Welp. I won't hold you any longer." You stand up, catching their signal.

The small figure is once again swallowed by the fluffy haze. You know what awaits them on the other side, but neither of you are prepared for that.


	21. Spare me your spear

You wave to Frisk as you meet them on the other side of the fog, sitting at your post. They just wave back and venture deeper down into the underground within Underground, also known as Waterfall.

Skipping ahead, you teleport to the safety bridge that catches poor unfortunate souls struck by Undyne's boulder "puzzle". As soon as your appear into reality, you hear a voice to your right, "I swore I saw something… Behind that rushing water…"

You jolt, eyeing the creep that whispered into your earhole, but it turns out to be just an echo flower. These things appear to be very sneaky. A common trait among the talking flowers.

"Another mystery, huh..?" you ponder, looking thoughtfully at the flower.

"Another mystery, huh..?" it murmurs right after you, in a quiet, soft tone that sounds nothing like the voice of Sans.

This leaves you feeling rather uncomfortable. Of course, these things aren't sentient but you still don't trust them. Your curiosity would kill you if you didn't give in. After a thorough inspection around the bridge, you notice a quick glint of light on a glass lens.

'Is this… Alphys' camera...?' Your bony palm meets your face. 'My god I totally forgot about those! No wonder I feel like I'm being watched! It's the cameras! They're all over the dang place!' Taking a step back you try to make it look like you've been merely washing your face. 'And no matter what's going on she has a chance of seeing it… We have to be careful.'

While you were busy searching, Frisk hopped across the water, easily avoiding falling boulders and disappearing behind the waterfall. No reason to stand in front of the camera any longer so you make another blink forward.

The tall grass swallows you, obstructing your view. You can only see the rock forest of stalagmites and the black void above you. Such a dark and heavy atmosphere might seem ominous to an outsider, but you've gotten used to these shady and silent shores of the glowing swampland. The grass blades slithering around are actually quite soothing. Though it also reminds you of something. Isn't this where Papyrus went to talk with Undyne?

A quick search reveals that, surprisingly enough, they are still talking, even if you've made it at the end of their conversation.

Shrouded by darkness, the armored figure looks like a heavy shadow. The voice, though muffled by the sharp teeth of the creepy helmet, is seeping with confidence. "I'll deal with them myself."

"B-BUT UNDYNE! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT! YOU SEE… YOU SEE…"

"We need that soul, Papyrus! Don't you understand that!?" The powerful shout forces Papyrus to take a step back. Calming down, Undyne sighs deeply, her breath whistling through the gap of her helmet. "Look, you're just a trainee so this is none of your concern. Go home."

The silence is looming above the river, with only the soft rustling of the grass in the slight breeze.

The skeleton couldn't find anything else to say but: "...I UNDERSTAND. I'LL HELP IN ANY WAY I CAN."

As soon as his footsteps fall silent you hear someone else getting closer. Shuffling slowly, Frisk strolls forward, water dripping from their soaked sweater and a... tutu? Like they didn't look silly enough without it! Good thing it's pretty warm in here so they probably won't catch a cold. Though in a few moments catching a cold might be the least of their concerns. The angry fish guard is going to attack them and no matter how nimble they are, it's impossible to dodge with a soul pinned down by the weird green magic.

You have to think of something and soon, for if you don't come up with something the kid will die. And if that'll happen, then who knows who's going to come out of the Ruins next time and if that human will keep a promise or not.

First thing first - distraction.

"Ahem," you cough lightly, stepping out behind one of the wide stalagmites.

"Sans?" The element of surprise doesn't last long and before you know it Undyne is brimming with anger. "Where da heck have you been all this time!? Why am I getting information from a trainee before from an actual sentry!? AND WHY IS THE HUMAN STILL ALIVE!?"

"Hey-hey… Take it easy." You raise your hands in a seemingly relaxed manner. "I was spying on them but I'm not a warrior like you or anything."

"You useless, lazy- UGH! I'm SO going to fire you after I deal with the threat myself!"

"...can I at least finish my report first?"

"Ngah! Okay. Make it brief."

"The human is strong. Very strong." You say solemnly, cutting straight to the chase. "They have defeated every single monster they've encountered, including the guard dogs and Papyrus. But! They didn't hurt anyone. They could've but they didn't. They either ran away or did something to befriend everyone… I dunno boss." You aren't sure what you're hoping for, spilling your doubts to Undyne like that, but you can't contain yourself at the moment. "I don't know what to do with them. They seem harmless, innocent even…"

Even though you can't see her face you feel that Undyne is staring at you disapprovingly. "I expected as much from Papyrus, but you? I can't believe I have to explain to you the bare bo… basics. Warriors or not, we are the law. We put to action whatever the king orders and I'm sure he knows what's best. You don't doubt your king, do you?"

You shake your head before she gets angry again.

"Thought so! And you're right. They do seem both strong and harmless… But I won't be fooled by the candy wrapper of their disguise! I've seen how tough humans can be! Killing dozens upon dozens of monsters! This one totally can do it too!"

"Doesn't seem like they want to though…"

"It's a war, Sans. With freedom of our entire species at stake. There is no room for doubt… NOW GO! Make yourself useful! And I might change my mind about kicking your butt into the snow!" With that, she turns around and runs off clanking like a bunch of tin cans behind the car of a newly married couple.

'huh.' You hear Sans' humming. 'i don't think i ever saw undyne so reluctant.'

'Reluctant!? Seriously?'

'yeah. why else would she spend so much time rambling? that's not her style.'

Your experience had taught you to take Sans' words with a slight grain of salt. He once told you that all monsters are practically saints, which might not be an outright lie but the fact is that there are some rotten crabapples among them. You've seen it quite a few times yourself. A smug kid in shaggy clothes, caught pickpocketing by his greasy paw, Dogamy and Dogaressa holding two drunk brawlers from trashing Grillby's, as well as just general brutes and ruffians that care only about themselves. So all in all monsters aren't that different from humans. So is Undyne.

Yet… To take someone's life… It's not easy no matter how angry you are, no matter how important it is to you, to everybody. You've learned that the hard way.

'I guess that's true.' You shake your head pulling yourself from all the philosophical reflections. 'But I still have no idea what to do…'

One thing you can actually do is to follow Frisk, who passed you and Undyne safely. A little farther ahead it looks like they just met up with one strange group.

"Yo!" Exclaimed the tiny yellow monster very much familiar to you. "Hm… Haven't seen you before! My name's Kidd, but friends call me Kid for short! Ar-"

Someone bumped into the talkative dino. It's a black puppy in a blue striped shirt you saw hanging out with Kid a couple of times.

"Oof, dude, watch where you're going! You could've flopped!" A black pointy nose peeks under the huge flower seed that the pup carries on his head and twitches with timid curiosity. Its followed by a paw that waves shyly to greet the stranger. "It's my pal Coodie. It's his code name though and his actual name is even cooler, but shhhh! It's a secret! Right, Cood?"

The small dinosaur pushes Coodie with his head. The pup takes a wobbly step further, smiles stiffly and utters, "It is nice to meet someone with such a weird smell."

Frisk snickers and then looks inquisitively at the other shark-looking monster sitting in the corner and glaring at the human with huge eyes that flash with bright green in the light coming from the water.

"That's… That's Kat." Kid glances in the same direction, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. "She's not a part of our team, but we can't really make her go away so-"

"Pfft." The subject of the conversation interrupts him with a scoff. "Like I need your company, ya wimps! I'm outta here."

Then Kat struts past them, bumping Kid with her tail and jumps into the water, quickly swimming across the gap.

"Well… I guess we have a free spot in our trio then. You're looking for Undyne too, right?" The dinosaur monster asks, perking up. "She's the coolest! We're starting a fan club for her! You wanna join?"

Frisk nods, immediately accepting the offer much to Kid's excitement.

"Sweet! But before you can really join you have to see Undyne first! Once you'll see how amazing she's at beating up the bad guys you'll become her fan in a flick of a tail!"

You watch from the distance as the team of little bandits work together to create the flower bridges across the water, lively chattering about something. Though it's pretty much only Kid who does all the chattering.

As soon as the puzzles were solved, the dino and the pup run off, while Frisk continues to walk forward at their usual pace, not really trying to catch up to their new friends.

After another turn, their phone starts ringing.

'The game event again?' Even though you can't hear the conversation you're pretty sure it's Papyrus. Who else can it possibly be? 'That's messing with my head. Kid appeared almost the same way, except with friends, and now Papyrus is calling probably to ask them about the clothing they are wearing. And of course, they are telling him everything!' You can't hold back a groan as you see them nodding every other second. "How can I even help them if-? Wait… Wait! I have an idea! Ha-ha!'

Once Frisk is about to go farther you step out of the bushes like you just randomly bumped into them. The happy smile they give you makes you feel slightly uncomfortable, but you smile back, with the widest grin you can manage and ask, "Can I borrow your dress for a moment? I need it... for a friend."

'what's on your mind?' The curious voice in your head interrupts your scheming.

'Nobody has to die.' You smile, receiving a confused hum in response. 'That's the slogan of the game. I remember it now. And I'm going to follow it as best I can.'

'and that pink skirt is going to help how exactly?'

'You'll see!'

"Yo! Over here! Check this out!"

You couldn't set your makeshift plan into motion just yet, for the kids meet up once again before you could find the two little monsters. This time they are hanging out by the docks, where the blobby monster offers to ferry everyone across. You accidentally teleport so close that the kids stand almost next to you and you have to hold your breath, hoping they won't notice your presence.

"We get our pocket money like this," Kid whispers to Frisk in a stage whisper, picking up the golden coins tossed by the weird water monster, with the tip of his tail. "But shhh… Don't tell Kat, alright? She can't count yet but she loves to take stuff from us. Yeah… She's not nice... Do you think Undyne will beat her up!?"

"B-but she's your sister!" Coodie exclaims, almost dropping his coins on the ground, eyes wide with worry. "You would have to stand up for her!"

"Wait… You're right. Man, that would've been so awkward!"

Frisk takes their time looking at the tablets while the monster kids take another fun ride across the water. You grab this opportunity, nonchalantly popping up in front of them.

"Huh?" Kid's eyes blink in confusion, staring at the previously empty space, now filled with your bony figure. "Oh! I know you! You're from Snowdin too!"

"Yep." You don't really have much time to chat, so you just ask head first, "You want to meet Undyne, right?"

The dino takes the bait, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Well, what if I say that she'll definitely be interested in you if you'll wear this?"

Kid's enthusiasm dwindles right away as he stares skeptically at the tutu. "Seriously, dude? She's too cool to be interested in girly stuff! You're making stuff up!"

"Why would I lie? Just try it for yourself! What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well… I don't know…" His face reflects that he's torn between suspicion and curiosity, but only for a moment. "Alright!"

"Great! Let me help you with this."

As you expected, Undyne is hiding and waiting behind the pillars near the docks. She's so deep in concentration that she doesn't move, just like a statue, but such an illusion is deceiving for she immediately snaps at you as soon you materialize behind her back.

"Wow-wow! You sure are jumpy today!" The sharp point of the magical spear halts in front of your chest right against were your souls should be.

"Oh, it's just you." She mutters in disappointment, lowering her weapon. "How did you-"

"I'm here to tell you something very important."

Ignoring your interruption she nods for you to continue.

You shove your hands into your pockets, close one eyelid and utter with a painfully long delay, "What do you call a fish with one eye?"

"Ugh, really?" You hear an echoing groan. "You came here for THIS? What's wrong with you? Besides, that's SO OLD!"

"Okay. But what do you call a blind fish?"

She turns away from you in irritation, choosing to ignore your presence. It takes her a second to notice the movement of something yellow and pink running past her spying point.

"Undyne." You whisper through a grin.

"NGAH COME HERE YOU LITTLE-!" A whole bunch of blue spears materialize, filling everything around with a buzzing noise and a blinding glow.

Your mind clicks back into place. At this very moment, you realize that it was a bad, very bad idea. You might've pulled the kid out of danger but you just put Kid right into it.

"Wait!" You raise your hand in a feeble attempt to stop her, but it's too late, Undyne is already running forward with the speed and temper of a raging bull.

As she flies forward the impostor of a human, it takes a sharp turn and stands in the middle of the road. The fish warrior notices that maneuver and already expecting something to go wrong, slows down to a speed of a regular olympic gold medal runner.

Before they had done anything she would regret, you pop up between the two, standing like a very fragile but determined wall.

"Woooah, Undyne! It's really you!" Kid exclaims with excitement he can't contain, peeking from behind your back. "You weren't kidding, dude!"

"WHAT!? WHAT'S THIS KID DOING HERE!?"

"Little guy really wanted to meet you, so-" you mumble, trying but failing to cover up the kid and your behavior.

"Yes!" The dino nods so eagerly he almost falls onto his face. "I was looking for you everywhere! Are you looking for someone too? Can I help?"

"Uh…" Undyne's head swings left and right as she frantically checks around. "It's not safe here. There's a human on the loose. Go back home, immediately."

"A human?! Woooow, I wanna see it!"

Undyne's fleeting patience expires. She grabs Kid by the shirt that he's wearing and lifts him up, growling, "Home. Now." Then she drags him into the bushes, but before she leaves, she turns her head to you and hisses so furiously that your knees feel weak. "Pick your side."

"Well, that was… something," you mutter staring at the still shaking grass. 'Damn that was close… What was I thinking...?'

'that certainly was _fishy_ ,' the voice of your ever present companion responds to your thoughts. 'when you sort it out let _minnow_.'

'Sans this is not the time…' you huff, hiding a chuckle.

'when it comes to punning you always have to _carp_ e diem.'

'And now you're speaking Latin. You might as well speak Japanese for me to not understand your jokes.'

'what's "japanese"?'

You hide your face inside your palms and laugh.

For what it's worth, at least Frisk managed to pass this usually deadly area safely. The sense of danger forced them to keep on moving forward and to stop only when they ended up in front of the lake where they decide to sit down and catch their breath.

They aren't alone in here though.

The brown fin is drifting through the glowing waters, getting closer. It halts in front of Frisk and then the shark monster rises up and forward, placing sleek fins on the ground, one on the each side of Frisk. Two shiny eyes full of subtle contempt stare at them for a couple of seconds, before the monster grows tired of watching the human's poker face.

"What? Aren't you afraid of me? I'm sure you've heard plenty of bad stuff from those dorks about me." Not receiving any response, Kat huffs, "Don't talk much, huh? Hm… You aren't like my stupid brother and his wimpy friend. They always talk, always run around… that makes me angry." She pulls herself out of the lake and sits down, squeezing the water out of her striped white undershirt. "But you're quiet. I like that. Let's be friends."

It seems more like a command than a question, but Frisk nods anyway, stretching their lips in a light smile.

For some reason, Frisk takes off their shoes and dips their legs into the water. Both the human and the monster sit like this for a while, dangling their bare feet and watching the ripples swaying the lily pads and cattails.

"I like Waterfall. Wish we could live here instead of Snowdin. The water here is nice and pretty... Don't tell anyone I said that or I'll beat ya up," Kat grumbles and then suddenly gets up sniffing the air around Frisk. "And speaking of beating up…" Greedy, toothy smile spreads all across her face. "Ey friend. You've got gold, right? I can smell it in yer pockets. I need it. Give it to me. Or I'm going to take it myself."

Not thinking twice Frisk jumps up as well and holds up their stick in front of them. Unprepared for such a maneuver, Kat manages to walk right into it.

"Owowow! My snootle," she whines, covering her nose with her fin-like hands. "Rrr, I'm gonna get you for this!"

With a surprisingly soft and flowing gesture for such a bulky creature, the shark child summons a wave of water and sends it towards Frisk. Frisk stands, unflinching, as the glowing wall grows closer and then hits them, washing over their ankles and splashing over the ground.

"What? But! How!?" Kat huffs and puffs in bewilderment, but then recollects herself, letting out a deep sigh. "Well then. You have ws... wisa... wistanded my mighty attack. You're strong… So I will show you something."

She grabs Frisk' hand and drags them along the lake's shore, flapping her webbed feet on the sticky mud. When they came close to the clump of tall grass, she lets Frisk go and walks into the grass, disappearing from view. After a few minutes she steps out of it, holding a plastic trashcan.

" That's my secret pirate treasure chest." Kat holds up her stash with pride. "Pirates are the coolest! They take stuff because they can. That's what I do too. And that's what you do as well." Frisk shakes their head and that makes her laugh. "Ha-ha, don't protest, I know you do. Well… You've bested me, you're a better pirate than I am so you can have this treasure. Take it, take it. I'll collect it again. It's a fun thing to do." While Frisk scratches their head, thinking as to where to put all the coins, she keeps rambling, "You'll see I'll become the best pirate there ever was. And once on the surface, I'll be the captain of my own pirate ship! And then you can be my crew mate or whatever. How about that?"

The kid gives her a wide smile.

"Heheh. Fun, right?" She mirrors the smile back at them. "Ye. Well. See ya on the flipper side."

That youngster sure has a knack for making friends. It's been good so far, but the next part could be really dangerous. Maybe you can give them a slight advantage ahead of Undyne, maybe not. Probably worth a try.

"Hey, bird friend! Come here, I have something for you!" You crouch and beckon the yellow bird at the other side of the small gap between the two areas, "Everyone has to have a nibble now and then, especially if you're doing such a hard work, am I right?"

The birdie seems to pick an interested in what you have to offer. It flies closer to you and you give it a hot dog.

"Can you wait here for a little bit?" you ask, receiving a chirp in agreement.

Now to lure Frisk to the birdie!

With all of the money that the kid just acquired it's only natural they've decided to visit a shop.

"Wahey! If my eye doesn't let me down yet I've got a customer today!" Gerson exclaims as Frisk enters the cave that was converted into a store... or more so into a dump. "Is there anything that tickles your fancy?"

Frisk scrunches their nose looking at the piles of weird, hardly useful and hardly edible stuff.

"What? Sure it's junk, but it is pretty neat if I do say so myself! Wahah!"

They end up listening to all of the stories that the old turtle remembered at the moment but didn't buy anything and… did they just steal an apple from the counter?

'Naah, I must be seeing things.' You shake your head.

As Frisk presses on, they make it to the water, where the Riverperson usually appears but isn't here at the moment. Instead, the water starts boiling and none other that Kat jumps out of the water to stand before Frisk.

"So I've met that metal lady my brother is going insane about," she blurts out immediately, breathing heavily as if she had to swim here really fast. "She told me to be careful because there's a human around here. Haven't seen anyone else in the blue and pink sweater but you. So you must be that human, huh?"

After contemplating for a bit Frisk nods.

"Cool! You should tell me all about the surface pirates then. But first, we have to get that lady off your tail. Pirate buddies, right? Right. Leave that to me." And she walks off, singing something that sounds like: "Yarr-harr, yarr-harr you shall walk the plank!"

What a peculiar kid she is.

The rest of the Waterfall area passes by rather safely and uneventfully for the little human, but as you are about to celebrate, everything quickly gets out of hand.

The distinct, stale cave smell is the most noticeable here, at the bridge between the two areas, where the sweltering air from the Hotland collides with the damp breeze of the Waterfall. The stalagmites at the far away bottom are just like giant teeth, with the water flowing between them is like saliva in a gaping maw of a hungry beast that can't wait to catch and devour any unsuspecting prey.

Undyne is catching her breath at one side of the bridge as the kid stands in the middle of it, waiting for her next move. You should've figured that she knows the place too well and runs too fast but you had hope. Too bad it didn't pay off. You don't know if there are Alphys' cameras somewhere here or if Flowey is watching or not, but it seems like you have no other choice other than to rush to stand in between these two, no matter the consequences. Yet… something doesn't feel right. They are alone out there. Isn't there supposed to be-

A shout disturbs the silence before the fight, "Cood! Oh nononono!"

'What the..? When did these two squirts get past Frisk?'

"Somebody help! Please!" the panicked dino yells gulping down his tears, looking helplessly as his friend hangs by one paw at the edge of the bridge. "I can't help him!"

Not you, nor Undyne manages to react before Frisk, who jumps forward and pulls up the whining puppy.

"Cood, bro, you scared the scales off my hide! Why did you jump down there!?"

" _Hic…_ I am s-s-sorry… I… I saw a bat and… And… I will be braver than this! I swear!"

The armored warrior takes a step back from the bickering children blocking her way across the bridge but recovers from the shock very quickly and starts to run, picking up the pace.

Step, another step.

 _Chomp._

A scream of confusion and anger echoes up and down the chasm. Blinded by anger, Undyne rushes forward while the ball of ferocity in a form of a shark monster latches onto her leg growling like a rabid bear.

"What? Sis!? What are you doing? Are you nuts!?" Kid yells, not believing his eyes, staring at his sister chewing on his hero's leg.

Luckily Frisk figures that it's the time to make a move, turning around and walking straight to Hotland, leaving you and two shocked monsters to look at this ridiculous chase.

Slowed down by the small but heavy child, Undyne is unable to keep up with Frisk. She throws a couple of spears at them and then fast, though careful, attempts to pry the angry ballast from her leg. When she finally succeeds in that, Kat drops and rolls under her feet in a last attempt to slow down the chasing guard. Even though she's hurt, Undyne still manages to jump over the living hurdle and limps forward with quite an impressive speed.

Yelling something incoherent, but highly frustrated, Undyne struggles to catch up to the runaway kid, but only manages to do so when they're already in Hotland. The heat does its job, sending her fainting on the bridge right above the searing lava pit. A few more minutes like this and one grilled fish will be served in the _plate_.

But Frisk doesn't wait for that. They notice the water cooler right away and get some refreshing liquid to Undyne, bringing her back to herself. The look on her face is everything from the leftover anger to confusion to pain, embarrassment, and defeat. She looks around as if trying to find the answer for what just happened and after noticing the empty cup in the kid's hand she backs away, turning around and slowly limping back into the coolness of her home area.

You exhale a sigh of relief. It went as well as it could've and you didn't even have to get directly involved.

The kid turns around and you smile, looking at their victorious, tired expression.

But the victory didn't last for long. Frisk takes a step and then stumbles, the cup falls out of their hands as they press their hand to their stomach. Under their hands, a dark spot begins to spread.

There's one single thought that rings in your mind, overcoming everything.

'B... Blood…'

You're paralyzed by something even stronger than horror.

'berry! hey! that's the worst time for a nap, pal!' you hear as Sans calls out to you, but all you can do is stare, watching the kid trembling and fighting to keeping standing upright. "come on, berry i really don't want to hurt ya, but... another death of this troublemaker will hurt you 'lot more.'

You feel an agonizing jab of pain, like someone hammered in a huge, hot nail into the back of your skull.

'gah!' Sans gasped in synch with you, 'i think i overdid it…'

'Why did you do that!?'

'the kid. they need you.'

'Oh crap…' You finally realized the full scope of what happened. "Oh crap-crap-crap-crap!'


	22. The cradle of trust

"Alright, alright, alright," you repeat like a mantra, blinking forward to catch Frisk before they fall down onto the rocky ground of Hotland. "Hang on, hang on..." Mumbling desperately you rip the fabric of your shirt for improvised bandages. "You don't have to die again… No one has to die!"

It's apparent that they ended up catching one of Undyne's spears, though you don't understand how you hadn't noticed that before. Now you can't bring yourself to look at their wound, wrapping the cloth around their body over their torn sweater. The fact that your hands are all covered in blood is barely bearable for you as it is.

Your first-aid knowledge only goes so far, but there has to be somebody who can help, so you call out to Sans, 'What should we do!?' Don't you know anyone who can heal?'

'uh… yeah. but the doc might recognize a human. But there's one option...' His tone is unsure, like he doesn't know if he should tell you about this or not.

You grit your teeth. 'There's NO TIME! Tell me already!'

'it's papyrus. he knows how to use healing magic. kinda…'

Lingering is not something you can afford, so you grab onto this opportunity and lean down to the kid, whispering, "Listen. I'll take you to my home, okay? Will you follow me?"

They move their head in a bare hint of a nod and you hope that's enough.

Even with their agreement, pulling Frisk through the shortcut is barely easier than pushing a cart full of boulders up a hill. It's probably due to their condition, which is only getting worse. You have no idea how much time has passed while you were moving through the void, but it feels like ages. As you finally find yourself in the livingroom, you notice that Frisk's face has grown completely pale. You drag them onto the couch as carefully and as quickly as you can manage and rush to the outside of the house.

Luckily Papyrus is hanging around the porch steps like you hoped he would be.

"Bro! Come here! NOW!"

Papyrus jumps and stares at you with googly eyes, "SANS! YOU STARTLED ME! WHAT IS THE MA- OH… OH GOODNESS." As soon as he steps into the house and sees your expression, the kid on the couch, and the blood on both of you, he slowly says, "SOMETHING TELLS ME THAT HUMANS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO LEAK LIKE THAT…"

"N-no… No they aren't. You- You know healing magic, right?"

"I DO BUT-"

"Then use it! Please!"

"B-BUT BROTHER! I KNOW HOW TO HEAL BROKEN BONES, BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY DIFFERENT!"

"Try SOMETHING! Can't you see they're dying!?"

"I… I'LL TRY."

He removes his gloves, exposing the thin, long fingers as he concentrates. Green light gathers around his phalanges as a small, lime-colored bone appears between them. He then pulls the soul out of kid's frantically moving chest and hastily pushes the healing pellet into it. The bone vanishes in a tiny flash with the sound familiar to you from the game.

Nothing. Frisk still rasps pitifully, blood overflowing from the wound now soaking the couch. This might be it, yet you refuse to give up.

"It has to work! Do it again!"

Papyrus nods silently, his expression dour. You've never seen him so determined before and you can only be grateful that he takes this task so seriously.

The healing session continues for hours. One after another the green pellets disappear within Frisk's soul. By either the monster's magic or by the human's raw determination, they hang onto their life despite the pain they have to endure.

Not content to just sit and watch, you scavenge for some clean linens to change the bandages. When you return, you find Papyrus sitting on the floor leaning against a wall. You give him a questioning nod, shooting worried glances at the couch.

"I DID ALL I COULD," he responds, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. Compared to his usual manner of speaking it seems like he's whispering.

You come closer and your soul suddenly grows ten times brighter. Frisk's face doesn't look as pale as before. Their chest, tucked under Papyrus' cape, moves slowly up and down with the steady breathing of a sleeping child. They even settle into a more comfortable pose.

"You did amazingly, bro. I thought-" You say quietly, fighting back your emotions. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Thank you."

"AH. DON'T MENTION IT." He rubs his shoulder and stands up, throwing one more glance at the couch and gesturing for you to follow him to the kitchen.

Papyrus' figure, lacking his signature gloves and scarf, casts a rather uncomfortable and worrisome silhouette in the kitchen. He taps the countertop and asks one simple question, "WHO?"

Your shoulders twitch in an uncontrollable, nervous spasm.

"WHO DID THIS TO THEM?"

You look away, not knowing how to answer.

"IT WAS UNDYNE, WASN'T IT?"

"Uh... Yeah…"

"OF COURSE. I RECOGNIZE HER... TOUCH." He looks at you with a sad and tired expression that seems alien to his face. "SANS... AM I A BAD FRIEND?"

"No! Of course not."

"BUT I DIDN'T AID UNDYNE AT ALL AND I FAILED TO HELP THE TINY HUMAN AND THEY BOTH ARE MY FRIENDS."

"No, Paps. You're trying your best. It's just... It's very complicated."

"I'M SUPPOSED TO ENJOY THE COMPLEXITY!" he exclaims with fervor. "I CHERISH THE TRICKINESS OF THE PUZZLES, THE HARDER - THE BETTER! WHY SHOULD I APPROACH LIFE DIFFERENTLY?"

"Exactly! It's not over yet and you basically just saved that kid, right?"

"YES... I SUPPOSE." This thought seem to cheer him up. "YES! I WILL SOLVE THIS! I'LL MAKE MY FRIENDS BE FRIENDS WITH EACH OTHER AND A DISASTER SUCH AS THIS WILL NEVER TAKE PLACE AGAIN! WELL... MAYBE THEY WON'T BECOME FRIENDS RIGHT AWAY, BUT I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO PUSH THEM INTO THE UNYIELDING CLUTCHES OF FRIENDSHIP!"

"If there's anyone who can do it - it's you." Your smile turns sincere seeing Paps being his usual self. "Coz you're great. "

"THAT IS CORRECT! NYEH-HHHEH!"

Filled with newfound energy, Papyrus dashes out of the house towards awaiting shenanigans. You can only imagine what's on his mind.

'thanks. for cheering up my bro. to be frank i was sure he'd be bummed out for a while seeing the kid like this.'

'Is that why you didn't want me to bring Frisk to him?'

'uh… kinda. whatever. s'all good now.'

Being the only one awake in the house, you find yourself with nothing to do. Then you recall the condition of your appearance. Begrudgingly, you climb upstairs and grab the change of clothing right where it was in the previous timeline and wander into a bathroom.

The water running from the faucet and onto your shaking hands slowly turns red. You feel dread slowly consuming your conscious as you stare at the stream of blood yet you can't look away.

'ey. don't make me smack us again.'

You shake your head and close your eye sockets. 'Sorry… Sorry… It… It's just b-blood… Ah, who cares, right!? Yeah! it's red and I like red! Strawberry is red too! I love strawberry! W-what else is red…'

'ketchup.' Sans eagerly plays along.

'Hahah, yeah that's nice t-'

'and your soul.'

You smirk. 'Yeah.' Gathering your bravery you gulp down and open your eyelids. 'I'm going to get through this and won't let fear consume me."

Easier said than done. Even your red jacket makes you feel uncomfortable now. Donning it, however, makes you slightly more confident, as if you're blending in with your fear. When you're done and about to throw away the old, torn and stained clothes you feel a tinge of guilt.

'Sorry for ruining your stuff.'

'what are ya talking 'bout? it's fine.' The illusion of Sans appears near you, pulling his hands out of his pockets to demonstrate that his outfit is "just fine". 'see?'

'Pfff… You're impossible.' You sigh with a chuckle. 'You're dead set on not letting me to feel bad about anything, are you?'

'yep. s'not allowed.'

'Thank you. Really. I'm so glad that I'm not alone here, in this situation.' A bitter laugh escapes you as you wipe your wet face. 'I know you can't exactly go away, but-'

'it's ok. i'm a sentry after all. someone hasta keep watchin' after all these pesky humans.' he says with a playful wink making you laugh once again.

You spend the next few hours guarding Frisk's sleep. You sit on the floor beside the couch, listening, waiting, thinking. After a while, you notice that the pattern of their breathing changes, so you stand up to check on them.

Even though their eyes remain closed, you see they have woken up. "Feeling better?" you ask, your gaze unwillingly shifting down to where their wound is supposed to be.

They wince, slowly rubbing their belly, but give you a slight nod.

"Can I look?"

Frisk scrunches their face, but removes their hand so you can reach the bandages. You untie and remove the cloth carefully, bracing yourself to take a look through a gap in the sweater.

There's nothing. The wound is gone! All that is left of it is some sort of white scar on the otherwise clean skin.

You shake your head in astonishment, thinking, 'Way to go, doctor Papyrus!'

The kid sits up despite your insistence that they should stay down. As you watch them curiously poking the white circle on their belly, wandering around the room, putting on one of Sans' sweaters that is only slightly oversized for them, you realize something important. This little brave squirt, that looks like a grumpy sparrow with their ruffled brown hair and quite bushy eyebrows over closed eyes, is a complete mystery to you. Game or no game you know nothing about the kid. At all. And now you intend to change that.

"You know…" You say, laying your palm onto their shoulder. "I think we really need to talk properly. It can't continue like this. I need to hear your story."

They think for a bit and then give you a careful and thoughtful nod.

"Well then… Let's do that as soon as we get you into shape."

"Grillby's?" Frisk asks simply, catching you off guard.

"You just had a hole in your stomach, how can you even think about food!?" You laugh, but it's not like you're going to refuse. "Sure. Let's go."

It worries you a little bit how your paranoia about this kid just flew out of the window after what happened today. They waddle through the snow close to you, but you aren't afraid. More so, you are ready to catch them if their legs give out. Maybe it's just hard to see a threat in someone who nearly died while helping a couple of strangers.

On your slow way to the bar you meet someone you weren't expecting at all. Their ominous shadow covers the two of you. Two horns at the top don't leave any room for doubt as to whom this shade belongs. A quick turn of your head proves you right. The king of monsters looms above in all his majesty. Huge, especially in comparison to you and Frisk, in full plate armor colored with gleaming yellow paint so it shines like gold.

Something smells of golden flower tea and trouble.

"Howdy, Sans!" Asgore booms cheerfully, not noticing Frisk just yet, but as soon as he does his expression quickly changes from low-key friendliness into shock. There is no doubt that he recognizes the human. "Oh… I see you are busy with your... friend."

You grow tense, morally preparing to flee or fight, but... he doesn't seem angry. On the contrary, his expression is... understanding? Understanding yet pained.

"It is a nice today, isn't it?" Asgore closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh. Suddenly he turns around, throwing one last phrase behind his back, "I will be in my throne room when you need me." With that he slowly strolls away in the direction of Waterfall, leaving your small group to stand confused, digesting what had just happened.

"Welp…That's one _royal_ pain avoided," you utter, voice shaking from the cranked up nerves. "...for now."

Frisk looks worriedly at you and the receding purple cape, clearly not understanding how lucky they are to have survived this encounter.

"It was the king. Asgore. I'm sure you've heard about him. And you're probably going to meet him again."

With one last push, you're at Grillby's. Most of the regulars aren't here at the moment. The establishment is nearly empty, but that's perfectly fine for you. The less extra ears are around, the better. However, you are still greeted by a dog couple that stand up from their table to come closer to you.

"(Hello, Sans.) Dogaressa nods to you, suspiciously sniffing the air. Her gaze shifts towards Frisk as she exсlaims, "Oh look, it's that weird puppy! Sans we had no idea you got a puppy!"

"Uh…" You feel uncomfortable, but it looks like they don't mean harm.

Dogamy sits down in front of the kid. "Sorry that we had to run away. But we found this!" He fishes out the same squeaky bone you threw to distract the gods. "This is amazing! ...whatever it is."

"(Take it with you, weird puppy.)" Dogaressa takes the toy from her husband's paws and offers it to Frisk. "(It's a lot of fun.)"

Frisk takes the squeaky offering with a grateful nod but isn't sure where to put it. Their pockets are full to the brim and they haven't had an opportunity to stop by a chest.

"I'll take it for you."

With the two of you left relatively alone, you lean onto the counter. Bringing your hands together, you tent your fingers in front of your face and exhale. "Okay... Talk."

Frisk responds by looking at you with a blank expression.

"Right…" Your pretentious tone vanishes without a trace, washed away by embarrassment. "Not the talkative type. That could be an issue."

The kid scratches their head and looks around, then their face lights up. They show you their palm and make a few circles on it with the finger from another hand.

"Uh..." You look at that for a solid minute as Frisk repeats the gesture again and again.

Frisk fidgets on their stool, looking at you. Finally realizing that you aren't going to understand they let out a quiet sigh. "Some paper, please," they ask in a meek voice.

At the exact same moment, Grillby startles everyone by dropping a stack of menu paper on the bar.

"Oh!" exclaims his de-facto translator, a red duck sitting a bit further down the counter. "Grillby says take all you need, he's going to put it on Sans' tab."

You smack your forehead with a loud _clank_ as bone hits against bone, thinking, 'Well that's was stupid alright…' Of course it would be easier for them to just write their story by hand. To entertain the kid, you quickly came up with something simple. "Wanna see some magic?"

Frisk nods eagerly and you open your jacket to demonstrate that you have nothing in there. Then you close it, leaving your hand inside. You reach out to the pocket void with your hand, for surely there must be a writing utensil floating around. "Ta da!" You put your hand behind their head and pull a pen out from behind their ear as they giggle in a giddy fashion. Such a funny kid. Weird monsters? Magical energy spears? Cheating death? Nothing impressive there. Now pulling a pen out from behind their ear, that's something to be excited about!

You slowly sip your drink, listening to the scratching of the pen against paper. Sticking out the tip of their tongue in concentration, Frisk slowly but steadily documents their story. Sometimes they fiercely cross out something, sometimes they stop to think, sometimes they throw worried, apologetic glances at you. These looks turn your soul into a mushy goop and it's only by a miracle that your body doesn't follow its lead. You have to brace yourself and resist their cute face, for you have to be one hundred percent sure you can actually trust them before you can finally relax. If ever.

Taking another look across the paper, they chew on their lip, nod to themselves and give it to you, immediately continuing to write on the next sheet.

Not wasting any time, you start to read. Your gaze jumps hastily from line to line. Their handwriting is surprisingly neat and easy to read, though you can't say the same about their writing style. Studying the paper you pace together the tale of the eighth fallen human. The underground misadventures of Frisk.


	23. Ruined

You straightened the note in your bony palm, and the story pulls you into it. You feel like you're there.

The heavy drops of a sudden storm had fallen like bullets from the sky, hitting the bare head of the lost child. Soaked hair, tossed around in the harsh wind, obscured their vision as they ran forward, seeking shelter. The rain clouds hid any light away and it was pitch black when they stumbled upon a mountain cave. Of course, it was even darker inside. A few uncertain steps sent them sliding into the gaping hole, down to the eagerly awaiting journey.

Startled but unhurt, Frisk had found themselves in a patch of bright, yellow flowers, surrounded by the darkness of the massive and scary cave. Though they could barely see anything, the size of this room both impressed and unnerved them. As they examined their surroundings, the kid began to feel like someone was watching them. The feeling of this persistent, analyzing gaze drove them to stand up and venture deeper into the cave, looking for the way back to the surface or any sort of help.

The help, or what seemed like it at the moment, came in a rather strange form. A single golden flower with a happy smile plastered across its features, just like in cartoons, introduced himself as Flowey and offered some explanations and love. The confused child didn't know what to do aside from obeying this weird guide as he pulled the red heart from their chest and aimed some white pellets at it.

In the few following seconds, the world had gone insane. There was pain, fear, hellish laughter, screams and the roaring sound of fire. When the panic was over, a pair of big, fuzzy hands helped them stand up.

Their savior was Toriel, the guardian of the Ruins, who basked the child in warmth and care, immediately taking them under her protection. Instinctively, Frisk clung to the fluffy woman as she led them through the crumbling hallways filled with puzzles and monsters that seemed to be too intimidated to dare confront the child while the strong, tall lady was around.

Being with her was their only hope to not get lost, so when she asked them to stay behind, they panicked and ran after her but to no avail. She dashed with incredible speed, orange leafs tossed into the air by her feet looked like a fire trail left by a racecar and there was no way they could keep up. Frisk had lost the sight of their guardian behind the corner and that's when they were attacked again. A giant frog leaped forward, blocking their path.

Trembling from fear, the kid attempted to talk with the white monster, but it didn't seem to understand them, tilting its head and making weird noises. Everywhere they turned there were small flies popping up at random places, stinging them whenever they touched their skin. Feeling cornered, they tightened their grip around the stick they somehow managed to carry all the way from the surface. Avoiding the flies buzzing around, they got closer to the frog and hit it. It squeaked, but didn't go away. On the contrary, even more white flies filled the air. So they hit it again. And again. And again. Not looking, not thinking, the scared child proceed to strike the monster until they realized that they were swinging at air.

The monster was gone. All that was left of it were a small pile of grey ashes.

'They disappear, so they aren't real,' Frisk had decided for themselves and proceed down the corridor, feeling much more confident than before.

Frogs, insects, vegetables and one very weird, crying ghost. The child either poked the attacker with their stick or if they felt outnumbered, hastily retreated, not looking behind. As they walked further, defeating the monsters and solving the puzzles along the way they felt like they were growing stronger, smarter and braver with every passed room. Even more so, they felt like a hero that beats up the bad guys that Toriel was upset with. They had no doubt she would be proud of them when they finally caught up with her.

Tired, hurt, but determined, they were happy to finally meet Toriel again. She healed their wounds with magic and invited them into her house. A quick nap in the room she lead them to accidentally turned into a full night's sleep.

The next day, they were curiously exploring everything, munching on the delicious sweet pie, sticking their nose in every inch of the house. The doubt began to stir within them when their furry caretaker didn't let them explore the basement. Sure it was dark and creepy in there, but why wouldn't she allow them to go there?

Don't trust strangers they say…

Their train of thought was simple: If Toriel doesn't trust them, then she's a stranger to them and they can't live here with a stranger.

Following this logic, the kid asked for the directions to return back home. Upset and nervous, she ran away from the question. The child chased after her down into the basement.

Scolding them for being reckless, she pleaded for them to listen, then attempted to scare them, then tried to send them back to their room, but Frisk felt very strongly that they must go forward. Even when she engaged a battle it didn't waver the determination of the stubborn child. They were able to defend themselves through the ruins, how hard it would be to poke a stick into another monster?

The answer turned out to be - very hard.

Flames had raged all around, as Toriel stared blankly into space, ignoring anything they tried to say just as they ignored her attempts to read them some snail facts and tell them stories a couple of minutes ago. They didn't want to fight with her at all. Sure she was just a stranger, but she had shown nothing but kindness till that moment.

Confused as of what to do, they darted around trying to avoid the flames, but they were everywhere, whooshing all over the smothering room and burning them very badly. They stung their skin and their soul a lot worse than the flies, carrots and other things that all the monsters were flinging at them before, combined.

Stumbling chaotically, they felt that they were getting weaker and weaker. The flames also grew smaller, dying down and flickering, not even charging at them any longer, but exhaustion and the lack of oxygen already sent them fainting. Falling down, their soul accidentally touched one of the withering flames.

The last thing they saw before the darkness consumed them was Toriel staring at them in shock, palms pressed to her mouth silencing her terrified gasp.

Then there came a bizarre dream of darkness, of red light, of letters circling around them in some sort of a dance. They didn't remember much of it and it was over quick.

They woke up in the patch of flowers. Again. The familiar dark cave surrounded them the same as confusion and worry surrounded their soul. They sat there for a while, trying to make sense of the memories flooding their mind.

When they began to think that they were dreaming all this time someone came out of the darkness. A child. Just like them or maybe a little bit taller and paler, but it surely wasn't a monster. They stepped towards them, offering their hand.

"Greetings. I am Chara." They smiled at Frisk, stretching lips moving up their rosy cheeks. "Fallen down, huh? Well, I know this place and I can help you get out. You don't mind me leading the way, do you?"

There was something unsettling in their smile, in the way they talked while staring unblinkingly into Frisk's eyes, and in pretty much everything about them, but the confused kid was so happy to find help so fast that they accepted the offer without any hesitation.

What a terrible mistake that was.

Puzzled, lost, and then terrified they witnessed Chara disappearing as their body started to move on its own. Trying all they might they couldn't do anything but watch through their own eyes as it marches forward, not even stopping near the talking flower, leaving him behind, both frustrated and flabbergasted, to follow the tall, horned woman. Not saying a word, not letting down a silent smile, the thief moved Frisk's body through the corridors, but once Toriel left them alone…

They began to kill.

Everyone in their way, everyone they saw in the rooms, everyone they caught hiding, huddling, and crying in the corners. They all turned into dust with one single swing of a stick.

To say that Frisk didn't know what to do would be an understatement. Surely it was just some bad monsters and they… had defeated them before? In a dream? But no matter what happened before, this time it somehow felt wrong. Not to mention the fact that they couldn't even control their actions. Though at least it seemed that Chara was showing them the way out.

They took notice how Toriel threw them a suspicious glance or two once they reached her home at the end of the Ruins. She seemed concerned, but that was all, still showing them the room and giving them some pie. but then…

Then she died. In one single hit, like the rest of the monsters did.

The little white heart that lingered for a few moments in the place she stood, shaking and twitching like it was afraid of something. It burst into tiny, twinkling pieces. The pieces floated down, like falling stars, landing into the pile of dust.

Frisk was shocked. They were shocked so deeply, that they didn't even pay any attention that Chara turned Frisk's body around and went back to the now-empty house. They crawled into bed and after a long time filled with buzzing, eerie silence, both of them had fallen asleep.

The next day Frisk woke up to the high pitched voice saying, "Chara, it's you! You're finally here! You came back to me!" They saw the deadly flower, who smiled creepily at them from the darkness as he whispered, "I knew you would… I'll help you along the way, don't even worry! It's a little bit late, I know, but we still can finish what we started!" He chattered as Chara was slowly getting closer to him. "Ah, you are eager to start, aren't you? You're right! No more time will go wasted!" Flowey laughed maniacally and disappeared underground.

Everything that happened next was just a pure nightmare.

Sobbing internally, Frisk couldn't do anything but watch as innocent creatures died and they felt beyond horrible about that. Bird-like creatures that just wanted to make jokes or find their friends were beaten down into the snow. A snowman, eaten alive, piece by piece right before his terrified, button eyes. Whining dogs that attempted to put up a play-fight, smashed into dust by the small gloved fists.

It was then Frisk realized how dire this situation had become. "Killing is bad! No matter how weird these creatures are - killing is always bad! Toriel was weird, she attempted to force them to stay, but they didn't want to hurt her! And everything that's going on now is just plain wrong!" they plead to Chara, they plead for them to stop, to return their body back, to have mercy, but their only response was laughter and a few, confusing, heartbreaking lines.

"I always keep my words." Frisk's usually quiet voice coming out of their lips were firm and grim, as Chara responded, "I said I know this place. I said I will show you the way out. But I never said I would let you go."

After that, they refused to say anything else to Frisk. No reply, nothing. Just silence filled with unspoken mockery as they walked through the empty town.

When they reached Papyrus, Frisk attempted to fight back. That strange monster, that was rambling something about his brother missing, trying to hold them back with puzzles, he even offered to be friends, but he and Frisk both failed and his dust was scattered on the snow, the same shade of gray as any other.

His words, that he still believed that they have good inside of them, and his death broke something deep down in Frisk's soul. They never tried to fight back after that.

No one could stand a chance against Chara. Even the heroic fish lady that was chasing them all the way through the swamp. She took one hit for the little yellow monster, and though she didn't die right away, her wound and her heavy armor slowed her movements enough for Chara to run away, not even bothering with finishing her off.

Frisk's hopes perked up again when they met another skeleton. They were cheering for you to win. You knew so much, you could teleport around and seemed strong enough to actually stop this madness.

It only hurt more when Chara landed a hit on you. They thought it was all over. So much desperation settled in the kid's soul that somehow it transferred to their captor too. They stopped laughing and crying, finally standing still long enough giving you the chance to strike.

Which you took.

Frisk never thought they would be so happy to meet death.

Back at the flower patch, they didn't know how to feel. They were happy, they were scared, they were sad and first and foremost, they were confused.

Chara showed up again. Furious beyond measure they screamed bad words at Frisk, threatening them, demanding to give control back, but there was nothing they could actually do. Frisk curled like an embryo and just stayed in that pose for hours, thinking that if they didn't do anything, at least it wouldn't bring any more trouble.

In this disaster of a condition, they were found by Toriel. They ignored her worried questions and she simply picked up and carried the trembling child all the way back to her home.

Days had passed, one after another. They decided to stay with Toriel this time. They didn't even want to think about fighting anyone. They didn't want to look into the eyes of any monster they or Chara had killed before.

After several days had passed, Toriel asked them what they knew about their curse. Frisk had no idea what she was talking about so she explained to them that she saw a dark curse hanging around them, and that if they wished, she could remove it.

Of course Frisk agreed, despite another tantrum from Chara. It took a while for Toriel to gather the ingredients for the ritual and all the while the evil spirit didn't allow Frisk to sleep, screaming at them each time they closed their eyes.

The day had come, when all the preparations were done. Toriel lit a couple of scented candles, fed Frisk some bitter herbs, mumbled some weird sounding words, waved her hands around them and they fell asleep.

The next day they woke up they didn't feel any difference in their condition, but after a day had passed they realized:

Chara was gone.

Frisk couldn't believe that it had actually worked, that this cursed entity left their mind for good. For the few more weeks they spent living with Toriel, they expected for Chara to return, but everything was quiet both in the Ruins and in their head.

Little by little, they began to relax. They started to forget the horrors of their previous life like it had all just a bad dream. Toriel was a very nice woman, kind and attentive as long as they followed her fairly simple rules and the monsters around the Ruins turned out to be nice as well, once Frisk took the time to learn more about them. The only thing they were afraid was the evil flower, but he hadn't shown up even once.

The life was peaceful and sweet but the longer they had to stay, the more nervous they felt. They knew it couldn't continue forever.

They had to move forward.

You put down the last sheet of paper and rub your forehead. You find yourself at loss for words or even thoughts, but one thing is certain - that was a hell of a read.

Can you trust anything that Frisk had written? Is Chara really gone and put to rest by Toriel's spell? You have to think it over.

"Can you wait for me a bit here, kid? I need to clear my head."

They look at you meekly and seeing their reluctance you call for Grillby who occupied the far corner of the bar, giving you some space, "Heya! Bring something sweet for the kid. I'll be back in a sec."

The excited munchkin is left in the relative safety of the bar and the cold air of the snowy street washes over your face. Few monsters standing around unnerve you so you stroll down the street towards the forest.

'so what's our plan now?' Sans asks, as you stop in the middle of nowhere, staring at the snowflakes falling from the clouds. 'we, uh, have a plan… right?

"Plan? Hah... hahah!" This simple question pushes you to laugh in a hysterical manner. "I have NO idea," you whine, smiling a crooked smile. 'You should've known by now that I'm an idiot! What was I even thinking...?' You make an exaggerated shrug. 'I dunno.'

"NO GODDAMN CLUE!" you shout out, angry at yourself and this unfair world.

'gee, pal... relax.'

You sniff, pressing your head to the hard and cold tree.

Breath in.

Breath out.

"You can make it, Berry... We can make it," you whisper quietly to the side of the tree. The bark begins to slowly absorb your overflowing emotions.

Sans is silent, but his soul sends you waves of something supporting and comforting. Fairly soon you're calm enough to think straight again.

'Frisk... They're a good kid. They legitimately don't want to hurt anyone. At least I think that's the case.' You begin to rationalize your thoughts. 'But they can't go through the barrier without the soul of a boss monster. I don't have the heart to say that to them... That they're just trapped behind the barrier. The same way we're stuck down here. It's also not safe for them here. Sooner or later everyone will know they're human and... It will certainly raise some questions. Monsters are mostly kind, sure, but with freedom being so near, with war going on…' You shake your head. 'As for the alternative, it just has "bad" written all over it. Yes, we can try and go to the surface once more but... It's just pointless, extremely dangerous AND I have no idea how to get more human souls without actually killing people. Which I-'

'you aren't going there. you're looking after my bro for me, remember?'

'Hah... Yeah. Sure. But if this is not an option, and asking Asgore for the souls is not an option, then what is is the option!?'

"NGH!" You hit the tree trunk with your forehead and the snow sprinkles on you from the branches above. 'What the hell are we supposed to do now!?'

'hm…' Sans hums thoughtfully, rubbing his head and you feel guilty that he has to share the same headache that you caused.

'Sorry about that.'

'let's call it even for the mental slap i had to give ya.' He waves you off. 'i was about to tell you that i recalled something. that game you told me about... it had frisk in it, right?'

'Sans…' You stare blankly in front of you for a few seconds and then you blurt out. "YOU'RE A GENIUS!" To let some of your emotions out you hug a tree and jump a few times. 'We have Frisk! They will fix EVERYTHING!'


	24. Hot as the surface of a star

'So the plan is plain and simple.' You pace around, fresh snow squeaking underneath your sneakers as you explain your thoughts to Sans. 'We let Frisk go on with their journey and in the end they'll confront Asriel who will break the barrier!'

Sans leans his illusory back against a real tree. The furrow of his brow suggests that he isn't sure about your idea.

'I know what you're thinking,' you blurt out before he has a chance to interrupt you. 'But what else can we do? I mean, we can't just ask Flowey to help us. He can't be trusted! But if we trick him into thinking that everything is going just how he planned, that might actually work.'

'"might"?'

'Not really a foolproof plan, yeah.' You have to admit. 'Got anything better?'

'nope.'

'Then that's the plan! Frisk is going forward anyways, so... We'll just tag along.'

'there's one thing though.' The bitter smile on Sans' face invokes a sore feeling in your chest. 'how long can ya actually stand and watch the kid gettin' into troubles without getting involved?'

'I… um…'

'exactly.'

'Damn it.'

You know he's right. You've been through this multiple times. When Frisk meets with danger you just rush forward to sort things out the best you can. For better or worse, Sans would probably manage to stand aside, but not you. You just can't do that. Especially now that you have no idea if the game scenarios are even possible.

"There has to be something! Think Berry, think…" You resume your pacing with newfound vigor, mumbling quietly to yourself. 'If we were to think positively, and say that our plan of fooling Flowey isn't ruined already, then Frisk is supposed to get to Asgore safely. For that, they have to enter Hotland and pass through it. There we have Alphys and her plans. Mettaton, puzzles and such, it's mostly all her doing.' You stop and point a finger upwards. 'Idea! Maybe we can ask her for help? I know you don't exactly want to tell anybody everything that happened to us, but we don't have to tell her every little detail! We just have to convince her that she doesn't have to win the kid over with her silly plans. Or something like that... I'm not sure yet.'

'hm… well, alph can be reasoned with, that's true.' Reluctantly, Sans agrees, 'let's try that.'

'Really? Cool! Hm... That reminds me though. How do you guys know each other? Was she one of Gaster's followers or something?'

'naaah. long story. let's say we have some interests in common. and no. it's not anime.'

'God dang it! You killed my hopes! You dream killer.'

'eheheh.'

"Alright, listen up, kid." You whisper to Frisk, as soon as both of you leave the bar. "I will trust you from now on and I will try to help, but unfortunately I might not be able to do much. Over all - you're own your own, okay? For everyone else - I'm not helping you." You sigh as you notice their inquiring stare. "It is complicated, I know. Tell you what, how about I at least get you back to Hotland?"

They nod without giving much thought to it.

"Then follow me. I know a shortcut." You wink at them and shuffle up the snowy road.

For once the tall figure, draped in the dark coat and mystery is exactly where you need it to be. Noticing you it sing-songs in a voice that could easily belong to either man, woman or any kind of alien, " O-la-la. The wind is changing. You won't be able to wear boots anymore."

"That's Riverperson. I have no idea what's on their mind either. Have a fun ride!"

It probably won't take them too long to arrive, but it's the safest way to get them to the Hotland without teleportation. You don't want to blow your cover more than you already have. It should also give you some time to put your plan into action.  
The white, cube-shaped Lab sits in the middle of the road, surrounded by lava like a sugar cube in a cup of hot hibiscus tea. Braving the hot weather with no sweat you jog towards it and the doors open up before you, allowing you to wander in and look around.

The lights are off, even the huge monitor is black for some reason, but you still can make out pretty much everything because skeletons can see in the dark, apparently. Though there is one tiny source of light. The light is coming from a phone's screen and illuminating the face of the scaly scientist. She doesn't notice your presence just yet, which is weird considering how noisy the sliding doors are, but as soon as you come closer you let out a gentle cough, making yourself known.

With a loud gasp Alphys almost drops her phone, but manages to take a hold of it with her twitchy clawed fingers and direct its light onto you.

"O-oh, it's just y-you. Why are y-"

"I need to ask something of you real quick."

"It's been awhile since you asked for my tools, he-he…" She smiles, relaxing a bit. "Want to fix something, r-right?"

"There's definitely something that needs fixing." Feeling pressed for time, you cut to the chase. "I know you mean well, but let them pass, Alphys. You can't hold them, you can't force anyone to become friends with you. If you try you're going to regret it, trust me on that."

"B-b-but h-how did you..." She stares at you, eyes almost as round as the glasses in front of them."

"Well, let's say you're not the only one who's good at spying on the others."

Alphys face began to subtly glow in the dark.

"Eh, I mean, uh…"

"I… I h-have to g-go now…"

Before you can react, she dashes away and disappears behind the "bathroom" door. As you blink away the confusion and follow her you realize that the door is impenetrable. Not even a doorknob to tug on.

Leaning forward you can catch a faint sound of heavy breathing on the other side.

"Alphys, I know you're there. Why did you run away?"

No response.

You quickly run through the things you said to her and slowly raise your hand to rub your bonehead forehead. 'A-a-argh I done goofed!' You breathe out in irritation and lean to the door again. "I think you might've gotten me wrong, just let me explain!"

Silence.

"Alphys, please… We can help each other. Just listen-"

'give her a break, pal. she's gonna be there for a while.'

You took a few moments to calm down and nod. 'Looks like there's no other choice... I just hope she'll be alright. And Frisk. Ugh, I shouldn't have intervened! What are we even supposed to do now?'

Not being able to find an answer just yet, you stand and wait for something to happen. After a few minutes have passed, Frisk enters the Lab. Stumbling through the darkness, they make their way across, not even noticing your presence and proceed down the road. As hard it is for you to leave Alphys alone with her inner demons, you have to follow the kid.  
Though you don't particularly like how things turned out, the absence of Alphys gave the needed results. Most of the puzzles are turned off, most of the doors are wide open and the monsters, though quite explosive, are all friendly. It's all just like when you were staying here for the longest period without resets. You know the place fairly well so you feel pretty confident every time you meet with the kid for another conversation.

"Hey, kiddo! Care to taste a dog? Yeah, I meant hot dog, but it goes without saying that It's hot because it's Hotland. Everything is hot here."

They grab the snack from your hand and take a bite, then their face scrunches, radiating indignation. Or at least you guess so, because their face barely changes.

Ha-ha, did you expect meat? Nope, it's not your regular ol' sausage! It's a water sausage! Far healthier and full of vitamins… at least I think it is. Come on now, don't stare at me like that, at least I'm giving it to you for free!"

As they reluctantly nibble on the dubious hot dog you lean forward and whisper, "Now listen closely. There are few dangers that might or might not wait for you soon, let me explain how to deal with them in case you have to. Alright. Have you ever purchased anything from spiders in the Ruins?"

Thoroughly instructed regarding still activated puzzles, guards and spiders, you let Frisk go. They are a smart and a strong kid, they can do this yet your soul can't help but to feel like something is going to go wrong and soon.

The CORE is looming in the distance, ominous and taunting, the noise it makes mixing with the sound of lava bubbles popping. Frisk trudges through the heat, slowly getting closer to their target as suspiciousness and suspense grows. For you realize that all throughout Hotland, Mettaton simply can't be found. Not only by you and Frisk, but by the other monsters too. You teleport around and catch glimpses of the conversations, like some kids saying that he missed his scheduled show and he had never missed it before. Even when he did there had at least been a pre-recorded show running at this time. They sounded confused, sad and also pretty bored. You are confused as well. Had Alphys helped you anyway and told him not to follow Frisk? That would've been very nice of her, though it didn't seem like she was going to do anything. Weird.

Even at the resort you hear the worried whispers going around. Supposedly he shows up every once in a while to check how things are going, but he hasn't been here for an unusually long time. You hope that he's okay, but can't help feeling glad that he isn't here to torment Frisk. They'd had enough and still have a lot ahead.

The kid sits in front of you right now, catching a breath after the long walk through the quite hot weather. Laying their elbows onto the table they look at you above the dancing candle flame and wiggle their brows.

You snort. "Come on Frisk, cut it. I need to have a serious talk with you."

Surprised, they move away, tilting their head slightly, prepared to listen.

"You never actually told me… Why do you want to go away?"

They look down, chewing their lip.

"Still don't want to answer…? Alright, I won't push you to it. But do tell me one thing. Is this worth it? Is this worth it to go all the way through with? Because everything that had happened before… That was nothing compared to what awaits you now. And it's not like I want to scare you off… Well, actually, I kinda do, ha-hah. But that's because I want you to be safe, Frisk. You think you can actually handle all this?"

This expression… You don't need to see the auras to read it. The revelation strikes you suddenly, like a peal of thunder on a clear day. The simple and the most logical reason that never occurred to you until now.

They want to go home.

You feel some sort of a momentary connection to them. The connection of two red souls that got themselves lost in a world of weird and strange, of monsters and magic, of adventure and danger… And you both dread it. And you both love it. And you both want to return back to normal, even if just for a little bit.

Will you be able to? Who knows. But judging by that face, there's no doubt that the kid will keep trying.

"I see…" You smirk and look down. "No one has the right to hold you down here against your will. All I can do is wish you luck and offer advice. I know it's nearly not enou-"

"Thank you." The small voice interrupts you and you look back up to see Frisk smiling. Then they dart around the table and hug you, their soft, fluffy hair tickling the side of your skull.

"Gee, kid. I… Ah, crap." You hug back this soft ball of adorableness as a sudden sinking feeling rises like you're saying goodbye to each other already. Now only not to cry...

You feel like a total sap escorting Frisk on the last push to the CORE, while whispering everything you know about it. They listen to you carefully, their gaze fixed onto the elevator's doors, so they are first to notice a weird noise wedging itself into your conversation. First quiet and distant, it gets closer fast. The both of you start to look around nervously and freeze in place.

Bursting through the door and rolling right at you is a giant metal box on one small wheel. The sight of this all-too-familiar robot closing in on you drops your soul down to your feet as your whisper turns into a yell, "Run!"

He dashes forward, leaving a trail of dust behind him, screaming at you with barely suppressed hysteria, "NOT SO FAST, DARLINGS!"

You do the exact opposite of that and run away faster than you've ever run in your entire life. The elevator appears in front of you almost as fast as if you'd teleported to it and you drag the confused child into the opened doors. The display on the robot's "face" is angrily flashing red in just as a few meters while you spam the "close doors" button.

The elevator lets out a melodic _tink_ and begins to move. You breathe heavily, leaning against the wall, trying to calm down.

 _WHAM!_

The metal doors now bear a clear handprint on the lower part of the door. Frisk stares at it for a bit before switching to drill you with their gaze.

"Oh, that…?" you blurt out nervously. "Pay no mind to that."

When the elevator finally arrives you peek outside, snaking forward. To your vast relief there's no one outside.

"The road is clear." You throw behind. "Leg it, Frisk. I'll try to hold the chase."

Very long and hopefully sturdy bones shoot up out of the floor, jumping into your hand. You find it easier to summon bones out of the ground then just willing them into existence. The sharp edge of the bone spear pierces the back wall of the elevator while the handle is stuck between the doors, jamming them for good. As far as you know, there's no other elevators or stairs leading into the CORE, besides the one in the Alphys' lab, which is very illogical but no complaints there.

Guess who has complaints though.

You teleport down to make sure that Mettaton won't pull anything out of his metal sleeves and witness the giant star-in-a-box furiously writing something on a stack of papers.

"NO-NO, THAT'S NOT IT EITHER!" He crumples one of the papers and tosses it away. It falls not too far away from where you're hiding so you pick it up and read:

 _I hereby agree to pay for any and all damages and viewer loss made proper by my actions. I recognize that I've sabotaged an investment on MTT Industries' part and that I am 100% responsible for the waste in both monsterpower and resources that have been lost due to me guiding the human away from the magnificent and viewer record-shattering puzzles built by Mettaton._

'Oh my god Mettaton.'


	25. Long lived the king

The last corridor. So many bad memories are floating around this place, filling the air with shadows of the unwanted past, uncertain future and a faint scent of golden flowers, making it highly uncomfortable for everyone gathered in this room. Still, it's too symbolical for you to avoid it.

It's dusk when you reach the last few corridors before the final fight. The end of this journey is at hand.

Well, hopefully that's the case, for it's hard to believe that everything could be solved so easily. It's not like it was easy or is going to be easy, but still, you can't help feeling the wrongness of this situation: fixing centuries worth of mistakes in one single day, of letting a child deal with everything for you and for all of the monsters, as well as not telling Frisk the truth about yourself on top of all that.

As the aforementioned child comes closer you exhale, shoving these thoughts away.

"I'll ask you one last time… Do you really want to go away so badly?"

They nod, their expression full of raw determination.

"Okay. I hate to let you do that, but I won't stand in your way either. Kid…" You look at them, soul heavy in your chest. "You probably already figured that you have to fight with Asgore, didn't you?"

They nod again. Not so assuredly this time.

"Well, I forbade you to fight before, but in this situation... I will not judge you."

They shake their head dismissively.

"Yeah, I know you don't want to hurt anyone. And you know by now that he doesn't want to pick a fight as well. But sometimes there's... no other choice." Your voice trembles at that last line as you ball your hands into fists.

Now Frisk stares down at their feet, sad and thoughtful.

"Hey, don't look so glum, kiddo." Here goes a feeble attempt of cheering them up. "You wanted it, didn't you?"

They nod, still looking down and you reach out to pat their hunched little shoulder. "Good luck over there. And don't forget about the pie," you add as they continue their slow, but firm pace out of the Underground.

Without turning around Frisk shoves their hand into their pocket and waves a triangular slice of pie in a paper wrap. You chuckle and sigh. Worry for this cute, determined warrior is gnawing you from the inside out.

They managed to escape so far, even if just barely. The guards, Undyne, Mettaton. But what if Asgore kills them? He is one of the strongest monsters after all. You'd reset immediately, but the pain Frisk would have to go through again... And then there's Flowey. How will the battle with him go down? You can't tell for sure and not knowing makes you nervous to the point of feeling sick.

'relax, ya worrywart. take it easy. you're not goin' to make a difference by fainting,' Sans remarks calmly, eyes closed. His figure, basked in the bright yellow light, looks so epic that you can't help but stare at him.

'Yeah, I know, but I'm growing attached to the kid, more and more with each moment I spend knowing them. I can't help it...''

He nods thoughtfully in response.

'We can't hold them hostage, but they also can't just get up and leave, so our only hope that things will turn out exactly like in the game with the barrier going down by the hands of Asriel...' you repeat the plan that somehow sounds less and less possible every time you think about it. 'It is a very, very big risk, but it might be the only chance we have. So I'm willing to take it.'

It's exactly what happened in the game so there's should be no reason to worry... right?

Sans breathes out. 'if you're so anxious then… i suggest taking a peek.'

'You think it's possible to do that without getting noticed?'

'i don't think it's possible. i know it's possible. just use a shortcut to the barrier. there should be a fitting spot, but... be careful, ok?'

'Will do.' You nod and add, '...thank you.'

With Sans' guidance you find a hidden switch, press it and a part of wall slides to the side with the deep rumble, revealing a small, practically closet-sized niche, filled with cogs and wirings. You have literally no clue what the purpose of all this is, but there's enough room in there for you to stand and some cracks between the rocks to peek through.

Fairly soon you see Asgore walking in, Frisk following shortly after, slowly treading further. The boss monster perks up, shaking away his pensiveness as he hears their echoing footsteps approaching.

"This is the barrier, " he says, looking up at the giant wall of condensed magic, that shines with the pink evening light coming from the surface. "The seal that hold us here, underground… Are you sure you are ready?" Even his voice draws out for long seconds, sounding almost like he is speaking in a slow motion, attempting to delay what he must do. "If there is anything left that you wish to do before we begin, I will not stop you."

The kid stands and looks at the king, drilling his back with stubborn gaze and the latter is forced to turn around to face his little opponent.

"So be it…"

The distant whirring of some hidden mechanism resonates through the walls. The cogs behind your back start to screech and crunch as well, making you shiver. The reason of all this ruckus is revealed soon, as seven holes slowly open up in the floor, right behind Asgore. From these holes, seven tubes rise, lighting up the room with their multicolored glow.

You finally see them. The six souls that once belonged to the unfortunate fallen humans, now carefully preserved and guarded by the king of the Underground, accompanied by a colorless, empty vial that awaits the last addition to this begrudged collection.

Seven souls to free the monsters from their dark and depressing prison...

In the single moment, your current plan pops like a balloon and flies away with a figurative loud whistling, being replaced with the new one. Or better to say with the old one. For it seems like it's finally your chance to shine.

"Human. It was nice to-" A loud crash of glass forces Asgore to shudder from surprise and throw a quick look behind his back. "Sans…?" The king's eyes widen as he stares down at you. "What is going on?"

"I… I'm…" Not knowing what to say, you attempt to reach for the floating souls that your quick bone attack freed from their containers, but they seem to shy away from your touch. Then you man up and grab the closest soul, the purple one. It beats faintly in your grasp, soft and warm, squirming like a sleepy, grumpy kitten that want to escape, but is too weak to do so. You squeeze it slightly, waiting for the fusion to begin.

…

But nothing happens.

Your gaze darts around: at frowning Asgore, then at Frisk, who emanates confusion with their entire being and then back at the souls. Shaking from adrenaline - or whatever equivalent of it the monsters have - as well from a sudden fit of panic you stand lost, wasting the precious seconds of advantage as one solitary thought pulsates in your mind.

'How do you absorb a soul again…?'

Asgore bows his head down, horns threateningly aiming forward, eyes disappearing in the shadow cast by his blond mane.

'berry!' Sans is the first in your team who had recovered from shock, shouting a warning, but before you know it there's a huge flaming ball flying right into you.

The surprisingly solid magic projectile rams into your chest, knocking the wind out of your ribcage, lifting up your body and slamming it against the barrier. It should be incredibly painful, but you aren't feeling anything.

The lights are dimming.

As you're slowly losing consciousness, you hear a low and quiet voice whispering, "I am very sorry… but I can not allow you to help your friend."

With you lying on the ground, not showing any signs of life, Frisk's determination falters significantly. The battle begins and there's nothing they can do but try to resolve everything peacefully, to show mercy, to talk it out... but it's all useless.

Through the tears of pain and despair they dodge the attacks which are getting progressively harder to escape with every new assault. The red trident makes rapid and tricky moves, changing its color from red to orange to cyan and back, hitting so quickly it turns into a smudged line of color. The huge, searing spheres circle around the child, enclosing them in walls of burning hurricane. Then they spread out, bombarding from each direction, usually going for legs so that Frisk has to play a game of hopscotch with death. Even though none of the attacks are aimed directly at them, it's still so intense that the kid can barely avoid the damage.

As the battle goes on and on Frisk keeps refusing to fight. Not even a single time do they land a hit on the boss monster with the stick that they're clutching tightly in their hand, like holding it lends them some hidden power. Yet, even with this strength, they can't possibly keep dodging forever.

Panting from exhaustion they slip to the floor, the flames die down and slowly, Asgore comes closer to them. His trident aims for a strike as he utters, still looking down at his feet, "I'm so sorry…"

However, the deadly blow didn't follow as the heart-wrenchingly familiar smell reaches the twitching white noise, forcing the raised hand to freeze in the air and turning the king into a statue of himself. Overburdened by memories and emotions, Asgore takes a step back as if he finally received a hit from the child. He stares at the piece of pie that peeks through the hastily torn wrapper, lying in outstretched hands, as if it's being offered to him. 

At this moment the skeleton sprawled in the corner twitches and blinks, wincing from pain. 

Intense humming consumes the entirety of your skull, coming both from being hit in the back of your head and from the barrier behind you.

Your ability to see returns long before thinking straight and you keep blinking and catching the random frames: the souls slowly drifting away from the battlefield; the child coming closer to the shaken furry monster; the fast blinking of lights on the metal surface; two twisted faces, one with shock and pain, another with tears and guilt.

The king falls onto his knee, holding his chest. The knife falls down from Frisk's hand, clattering against the stone floor and they rush to the defeated monster, locking him in an incomplete hug, as their hands can't possibly go all the way around his huge, armored chest.

And then comes the whisper. Sad and quiet, but loud enough for you to pick up the words, it's Asgore telling about his son, the truth on how the war was declared and how he learned to regret that decision.

"I am so tired of bringing pain to the others. I do not wish for any of this… All I want is to see my family again. Even if just for a moment. Please… young one…" He breathes out faintly, barely holding back the old man's tears. "Take my soul and leave this cursed place."

Frisk clutches to him, shaking their head against his shoulder.

"After everything you've been through… You'd rather stay down here to suffer with us, than return to the surface…?" The king can't seem to believe in his own words, but the kid nods, agreeing with what he just said. "Human… You truly deserve better than this." His lips tremble in an attempt at smiling. "You have met her, haven't you? You have met my wife… I so badly want to see her again, to make up for everything that I've done. Oh how wonderful would that be to laugh together, all three of us, sharing stories, presents, pie and tea…. To be like… like a family. And yet…" His pale face shrouds itself in shadows. "It's nothing, but a mere fantasy. Young one…" The tone of the king's voice suddenly turns firm. "As I look at you I remember the first human whose fate sent them falling down here. You have the same look in your eyes. That hope, that wish to help, that unbendable will… All this time I was doing everything wrong. If there's still a way to free my people it must come not from the inside, but from the outside. It pains me to bring this upon you, but, please… Please take my soul and seek out the truth." Asgore pushes Frisk away from him lightly and the red trident materializes in his hand once again, as the kid scrambles to their feet, running back to him.

"Goat dad… stop… " you mutter weakly, trying to stand up as well. "It's not going to help…"

Three sharp points aim at the armored chest, ready to strike, quickly moving and-

"NO!" A shout came from the entrance to the room and a whirl of white and purple dashes forward the two figures.

The whiff of air brings the faint scent of pie and old books. The queen has returned… Yet she didn't make it in time.

The king of all monsters is slowly dissolving into dust.

"Tori... you... you came back…" Asgore whispers in a fading voice, goofy smile spreading across his face.

"Shut it! And do not dare die on me!" Toriel cuts him off as a flash of magic colors her hands in green. She presses her arms to the cracked armor and the fire roars, coating the whole body of the dying monster in emerald flames.

It's not working. There's nothing she can do and Toriel knows it all too well.

Losing her last bits of hope, she grabs Asgore's cloak and pulls on it, yelling in desperation, "Why did you do this!? WHY, you spineless knave!?"

"It's... for the best... I hope…" A small cloud of dust escapes his mouth as he coughs and closes his eyes. "You are right... I am... spineless…"

The big figure turns grey, lingering like that for a split second. Then gravity takes its hold, dust scattering and leaving only the white, inverted heart to linger. It makes something like a faint attempt to move towards the kid, but they're still too shocked. They just stand there and after few moments the soul breaks, with a quiet sad sound. Snapping in two, bursting into pieces and then it just... disappears.

The monster queen stares blankly at her fingers, ashes pouring through them like ancient sand in an hourglass. Slowly, she pushes her hands to her chest and in the dead silence comes a quiet whisper, "How could I be so late…"

You snap out of your shock, slowly pulling yourself to your feet using the barrier as a support. When you finally waddle closer to the unfolding tragedy you witness Frisk hugging Toriel and whispering something to her, you assume it's something comforting, though it's hardly enough. You don't know what to do, feeling completely out of place.

After a while Frisk stops talking, leaving only the buzzing silence that you can't take anymore more of.

"Can I… Can I help in any way?" you ask, though what can you even offer to them?

Toriel looks up, almost mechanically searching for the source of the voice.

She is so beautiful. Silky smooth white fur, elegant small horns and the dark-red eyes that somehow don't look threatening at all. They look so gentle, wise and so... so sad. With a glint of recognition sparking in them.

After rubbing her face she takes a good look at you, freezing in the middle of the motion as her eyes widen in shock. "Is… Is this…? How... How did you acquire a human soul!?"

You blink, her words slowly processing in your mind.

"How could you…" You take a step back. Things are going south all over the place and you can't seem to keep up with their pace. "How COULD you kill a human!?"

In an instant, the mourning wife has turned into a fierce warrior. Now she stands before you in all of her impressive height, pushing Frisk behind her back while not breaking furious eyes to terrified eye sockets contact.

"I-I-I didn't-!"

"Do not even DARE to lie to me!" She growls, interrupting you, baring her fangs in a scolding grimace. "I have studied auras and souls for ages! That much red… I have only seen it once…" Her voice falls to a whisper and you raise your hand, wishing you could comfort her, yet as soon as she notices your gesture she glares with a disgust on her face. "I trusted you! You promised me! And…and… If you had that soul all this time... it means… That he died for NOTHING!"

You feel that the air around you warms up more and more as she speaks. You're sweating, though it's not from the heat, of course.

"Welp. Looks like you can see right through me. Ahahah..." you let you a nervous chuckle, hoping that pun will at least distract Toriel as she is clearly not in a mood to listen to your excuses.

It only made things worse.

Toriel howls in anger and grief as she throws a blazing fireball, aiming straight into your face. This time you react accordingly, quickly blinking away only to see barrages of seeking fires flying all around the room, while you're still not in a condition to take even one more hit. There are no other options left for you, but to retreat and you use a shortcut to return back home.

Standing in the middle of your room you stare absently in front of you, your mind refusing to believe everything that just happened.

'welp. that sure was... something.' Sans raises his voice and it triggers you to snap like a disturbed mousetrap.

"WHY GOD!? WHY DID ASGORE DO THAT!? WHY DID TORIEL SHOW UP!? WHY DID SHE ATTACK ME!? WHY COULDN'T I JUST TAKE THE DAMN SOULS!? WHY!?"

Every shout is punctuated with a punch to the wall. Not very impressive punches though, as you can barely even stand on your feet. After that outburst, your poor legs can't hold you any longer and you land on the mattress, muttering, "Calm down Berry... breathe... That's just a bad run, we will erase it... OH CRAP, THE KID! The kid is left with Toriel!" You grab your head and whine, "Nonono…"

There's no way you can leave them alone, but you can't just jump in there either. One lucky shot from Toriel and you might just say goodbye to the lovely monster-human hybrid. You still can't get over the fact that you survived that blow from Asgore, though he probably hadn't aimed to actually kill you.

Taking another deep breath, you gather all of your remaining strength to stand up. It's not safe to stay in here any longer.


	26. Between the void and a dark place

Making a hasty retreat from the house, you swoop into the shadows of the nearby alley just in time to see a pack of royal guards trotting towards your door. You expected as much, but not this soon. The old new ruler sure doesn't waste her time.

As you wait for them to finishing turning your house inside out, you rest your head on the wooden wall and overhear a door slam, followed by a conversation from the open window of Snowdin's shop:

"Oh my god are you sitting? You better sit down because I have SUCH. NEWS!" The excited voice sounds somewhat familiar. Probably one of the plentiful bunny folk. "The king's gone missing! And the queen showed up after god knows how long!"

"Yeah, I'm aware. The guards are barking so loudly it's hard not to notice that something is going on." This calmer voice is definitely familiar for it belongs to the shop's owner.

You scrunch your somewhat inflexible face as much as it can allow. Seems like gossip is as fast underground as it is aboveground. Being the center of all the fresh and juicy buzz never feels nice. You're about to move elsewhere when Sans stops you.

'hey, wait. let's hear what they has to say.'

'Didn't you tell me that " _eavesdropping is not cool"_? _'_ You try to make an impersonation.

'heh. yeah, I did. but in this circumstance "eavesdropping" turns into "gathering useful information."' You shake your head slowly at that, though concentrating on the dialogue regardless of your opinion.

"I know right? I can't believe it! And I've heard she has a human by her side. Can it really be true?"

"No way. Where did she even find a human down here? It's just gossip, I'm telling ya." What's the name of the vendor again…? You've heard it once or twice but it keeps slipping away… Vanessa? Vivien? Velvet...? Oh well, not like it's important anyway.

"Who knows these days... I also heard she's very angry! And somehow she blames Sans...? And sent guards to capture him? Like, what did he do? Avoided his job like usual? Or told her some bad joke?"

"Now that really is weird."

"I think that the queen's gone insane after all the years of living alone and killed Asgore in a streak of madness and now wants us to blame Sans."

You snort out of indignation, luckily that sound was overshadowed by another bunny.

"Shush! What's that on your shoulders? A turnip? Who in their right mind says things like that out loud!?"

Their voices hush to whispers but you still can catch some of the things they are saying. From what you've figured, Toriel is the ruler now with Frisk staying beside her. Now humans are all welcomed underground and Sans... Sans has been declared a traitor. The full wrath of this woman has befallen on you.

'don't blame her, buddy. we all ended up in the wrong place at the same time.' Sans says in a calming tone.

'I know. I know. This timeline sure is messed up beyond repair. We have to reset, but for that we have to get to Frisk first. Which is going to be risky… Ugh, I didn't count on ANY of this happening!' you think with a hint of despair, pulling on the laces of your hoodie with your teeth. 'What Asgore did, even if it was awful, was understandable and I should've expected to stumble upon Toriel at some point, but her seeing my soul? This is just insane! And me?' You make an attempt to hide your face in the hood. 'I'm an absolute idiot! Not only did I not take any of the souls, but it looks like I scared Flowey away…'

'nah. you did what you thought was right. it just… didn't work. i dunno why. i seriously don't know.'

'Neither do I! My plans are crumbling apart and I'm not sure I can come up with new ones to replace them- Wait a second.' Some ideas crawl into your head. 'Sans… You knew about the hiding spot. Does it meant y-'

'ya think i knew 'bout the souls all along?' Sans interrupts you, smirking. 'no. i had no idea what these mechanisms are for. i never bothered to ask asgore 'bout them or about the souls. that's none of my business. dunno who even built those.''

'I bet it was Gaster.'

'well, uh, probably. the guy sure was productive.'

Before you can continue your conversation, the guards finally leave the house. Now they have company. With a heavy soul, you watch as fluffy warriors escort Papyrus down the stairs, sharp spears aiming at him. Even from far away you can hear that he's asking something about Sans in a loud, confused tone.

'Toriel won't hurt him... right?'

'she is a fierce lady as it turns out, but…' Sans sighs. 'yeah who am i kiddin'? i have no idea. let's follow them and make sure.'

With a double dose of worry you tail the white dog tails as they make their way through Waterfall, yet they didn't go past it, instead turning right before the Blook family's snail farm.

'What? They're leading him to Undyne? Huh…'

When the sharp teeth of the door snap behind the guards' backs, you crouch forward and peek through the window of the fishy house, trying your best to remain unnoticed.

The blue fingers tap an improvised marching rhythm on the table top. "Okay, Papyrus. Can I trust you with something?"

"WHY OF COURSE! I AM THE TRUSTWORTHIEST SKELETON IN THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND!"

"Uh, sure... Listen here and make sure to keep your mouth shut about this. I think that human brainwashed all of us, including the queen. I also think that Asgore and Sans were onto them or got in their way so that's the reason they're missing. That's why we're going to storm the castle tonight. Almost all of the guards are with me... NGAH!" She flips the table and it flies above Papyrus' head, crashing into the front door. "We're going to get to the bottom of this even if it's the last thing that I ever do!" She relaxes and crosses her legs, squinting her single, yellow eye. "So tell me… Are you with me?"

"B-BUT-" Papyrus attempts to stutter something, but Undyne is having none of that.

"ARE YOU WITH ME OR AGAINST ME!? She roars at him, jumping to her feet, her face right in front of his."

The skeleton takes a step back but quickly recollects himself, standing up against her. "THERE IS NO NEED TO BE SO HOSTILE, UNDYNE! WE ARE ALL FRIENDS DOWN HERE!" His smile is almost as cheerful as usual and double as friendly. "SO I'M SURE WE CAN FIGURE SOMETHING OUT WITHOUT FIGHTING!"

"Ugh, Papyrus you are SO naive..." The fish warrior rubs her face, slowly calming down. "Anyway…" She continues, going around to pick up the table, putting it back with one hand. "Before taking action I would like to talk to Sans. He always seems like he's up to something and this time he might want to cooperate as his situation is... sticky… He is your brother, you know him better than anyone else. Find him and bring him HERE!" She says in a commanding tone, landing a hit to the table. The poor innocent furniture cracks and folds into itself. "...please," she adds after an awkward delay.

"OH, THAT'S IT? WELL! EASY-PEASY!" Papyrus proclaims cheerfully. "HE'S HERE ALREADY!" And then he points at the window right where you're standing.

'WHAT THE-' The abrupt thought flashes behind your rounded eye sockets.

"WHAT THE-" You had a split second to hear Undyne echoing the notion before you quickly teleport out of her sight.

'Sans, I swear to god your entire family is a freaking pile of mysteries!' You yell mentally, looking down the capital's alley you randomly hopped into and grabbing your chest to calm down your panicking soul.

'heheh.' The low voice chuckles in the back of your head. 'true that. ya have no idea how many of my pranks failed just like that. sometimes paps manages to surprise even me.'

'Well gee willikers…' You take a few minutes calming down a reassessing the new information. 'So they're going to attack. That's no good. They might hurt Frisk! Many can get hurt, actually. But on the other hand… It might provide a distraction to grab the kid and pull them out of there.' You think about that for a bit and then shake your head discarding that idea. 'No. That's way too dangerous. We need to act before they do.' You glance at the ceiling that is getting more and more murky with each passing minute. 'It's getting dark already.'

You teleport into the kid's room of the New Home as you anticipate Toriel to be housing Frisk there. For once the luck is on your side. They are here, already asleep on the bed that previously belonged to Asriel. After a brief hesitation you call out quietly to wake them up, "Hey, kid."

Slowly opening their eyes, Frisk notices you and as soon as they do the kid jumps slightly and scurries over to the far corner of the bed.

"Uh, what's wrong?" you stare at them holding onto their chest, like they're trying to shield it from you. Then a thought occurred to you in which circumstances you had to split up. "Wait. You… You think I'm going to take your soul…? Oh gosh, kid. No. I would never-" You rub your face, trying to gather your thoughts. "Listen, whatever Toriel told you it's not exactly true. I didn't took any human souls... actually- This might be complicated but I'll try to make it simple." It's going to be a challenge to explain something you don't even fully understand yourself to a child. Especially with the time limit, but this might be your only chance to regain Frisk's trust. "Let me properly introduce myself." You cough and look intently at them. "I'm not really Sans. My name… Well, just call me Berry. I'm a human, just like you."

Now, more than ever, their face looks like their in-game sprite with doubt written all over their squinted eyes.

"I know it's hard to believe it! But take a look for yourself." With a frantic wave of your hand you let your souls free from your chest. "This soul it's my soul and this one inside... see? It's Sans' soul. I took over his body, but not on purpose, honestly! And he is still here."

'say hi to kid for me.'

"He tells you hi. We are friends with him, alright? We're in this together, Sans and I. But the others, they don't know that. I didn't expect for Toriel to find out so soon…" Now Frisk's face is half doubtful and half perplexed, yet not even a tinge of trust can be seen there. "Still no…? I'm sorry I confused and scared you. Yes, I attempted to take these souls while you were about to fight Asgore, but all I wanted is to help you! To help everyone… And… I could've taken your soul back then, at Snowdin, y'know. But I didn't. And I'm still very, very sorry for what happened... Look, I gave you a chance, kid. Just like you asked. Now will YOU give me a chance?" you ask, offering them your hand.

There's a light knock on the door, that makes you shudder. "Child? Did you say something?"

You suppressed the rising panic and stare at Frisk with a silent plea.

"Child?" The voice of Toriel raises, filling with worry.

Frisk stands for a moment, biting their lip. Then, slowly, they put their hand into yours and nod. The small palm feels so adorably soft and warm. As cheesy as it might be, but this feeling fills you with determination.

The second before the teleportation you whisper, "Thank you."

Standing in the hidden corner of Waterfall, beside the lonely bench that hides the remnants of the abandoned quiche, you drop their hand as well as a deep sigh and say, "Here's the plan. Wait here for around five or ten minutes and then restart the world. We'll meet again when you'll exit the Ruins and figure something out."

They tilt their head and frown.

'berry…' Sans voice echoes the notes of terror rising in his soul.

"It's… It's going to be okay."

'berry, NO.'

Frisk grabs your sleeve.

"It's- It's okay… You trust me, right? And I trust you to reset…" You mutter, trying to carefully pry them away, though it proves to be hard with your hands shaking like you've caught a fever.

'don't even think about that.'

'Do you have any better ideas for how to fix what happened? Because I don't. Someone has to answer for my mistakes. Preferably me.'

The baffled silence is your answer.

'I'm sorry that you have the most useless screwup for an ally Sans, I'm really sorry…' as you talk with Sans, you feel Frisk tugging on your sleeve.

They keep tugging until you finally look at them. Then they stare at you and shake their head.

"Darn it kid…"You chuckle nervously and reach out to pat their head. "I'm flattered that you worry about me, but… We have to save Asgore. Don't you agree with that?"

They look down, thinking for a bit. Then they nod.

"We can't bring him back as long as both of us… you know… And I don't want you to get hurt again. You've been through enough as it is. So… yeah."

You slip out of your jacket, leaving it dangling in their hand and throw it behind your back, "I trust you."

The cold calm and quiet of Sans' laboratory you've dropped into via teleportation contrasts heavily with the fury of your emotions. The red of your souls pushes back the darkness with an ominous glow.

'berry, buddy, pal, sunshine. maybe chill for a moment?' Sans begins to try and reason with you once again. 'there's should be another solution to this.'

'Like what? Hold hands and wish for everything to be fine? This timeline can't be fixed and I won't let anything bad happen to the kid. Not again…'

'but… uh… there's no need to rush. we can just sit with the kid and think of so-'

"No rush!?" You bark out loud with a tinge of irritation. "There's an angry goat woman that takes no explanations with all of the guard on our tail! There's an angry fish woman that still hates humans that is going to storm the castle tonight! There's an entire underground that is going to be against us no matter who wins the throne! There IS no time and there is nothing else we can do, Sans!'

'c-come on…' He's still trying to protest, though you know he perfectly understands that you have no choice either. He's just stalling for time, waiting for the fear for your life to take hold and change your mind. Sans is good at that. At stalling, at waiting, at talking, but that won't work. Someone has to do the most painfully obvious action and it has to be you.

"Imsorryimsorryimsorry…" you mutter, voice quivering as you know that it's going to be awful, you know that Sans would have to feel the same pain, you know that with all of your trust in Frisk you still might never get back to life after this, but before any of this kicks backs any sort of sense into your head you summon a long and sharp bone needle and pierce it right through the floating hearts.

Your combined souls definitely hold more than one hit point or it might be that your intent for harm isn't strong enough. No matter the reason, your agony lasts way longer than you had expected. Huddled on the ground you gasp through the waves of shredding pain, each new breath comes harder than the previous one. One last faint sigh and it all goes away, replacing the reality with welcoming darkness.

The void is all around you once again.

Though there's no _you_.

There is nothing. Nothing at all.

No rush. No bother. No pain. No sadness.

The vail of emptiness is like the most comfortable of blankets. It shrouds you completely, covering you from everything, from all the hardships and stress of the world and doesn't let go, promising to always stay like that... forever… eternally…

But that is not deserved yet.

There are still struggles to go through, battles to fight, bonds to make. People to save. You can't abandon these quests and these people. Even if they don't know you. Even if they'll forgot about you.

The rest isn't earned. The journey isn't over. It is only the beginning.

You have to stay determined.

The red flare, brighter than a thousand suns consumes everything and then washes away, giving the space for the familiar lettery void.

This time, however, you and Sans aren't alone in it.

The silhouette builds itself from the letters, like these silly pictures that creates 3D illusions. Except it's not an illusion. Someone is manifesting before you and you think you know who it is.


	27. New run

Like flies, the letters of the void are buzzing with activity, darting around you, trying to escape, only to be pulled back by some unknown force as the eerie entity is filling the endless space before you, shaping itself out of black and white. The sight of this amorphous body, the creepily smiling face and the row of floating palms leave no much room for a doubt.

"Gaster…" you say, or you'd say if you could, though it seems like the thing before you caught your realization regardless.

The black gape that is likely supposed to represent a mouth widens and a wave of something incomprehensible washes over you. The panic begins to rise, as you feel yourself drowning in something you can't understand. Only after a few moments of spastic floundering do you realize that your feelings are playing tricks on you. That it's not a liquid or sand that surrounds you but some kind of sound. Relaxing, you listen closely and start to make something out of that white noise.

Voices. Not just a couple of voices too, there are many, many voices that are trying to explain something to you. Overlapping, interrupting one another, the different voices, that, however, seem somewhat similar to each other echo back and forth digging straight into your soul.

"I AM\ ** _Here_** \ _still here_. **Not** _gone_ \ **NOT** **DEAD** \ ** _erased_** **YET** ** _._** _it_ \ ** _that_** **WOULD** \ ** _have made my_** \ **MY OWN CREATIONS** \ _achievements_ \DEEDS\ ** _experiments_** DISAPPEAR\ ** _vanish_** \ _gone with me._ **JUST** \ _merely_ \ACTUALLY\ ** _scattered_** \ **DISPERSED** \ _lost in a time_ \ ** _space_** \WORLD."

There are about four voices that stand out from the crowd, you can hear them fairly clearly now, yet they don't seem to always agree on what they are trying to say.

" **I COMMAND** \I BEG\I **_ask for help_** \ _aid me_ \ ** _find_** MY FRIENDS\ _strangers_ \ **LESSER CREATURES** _find_ \ **SEEK** \ ** _acquire_** **PIECES** \ ** _parts_** **_of me and_** **_my_** _followers_ \ ** _coworkers_** \FRIENDS\ **SLAVES**."

Something in this phrasing can't help but smell foul.

"FIRST\ _most importantly_ \ ** _Urgently_** **_you have to_** \ _must_ _destroy_ \ ** _shatter_** \BREAK _the seal_ \ ** _barrier_** **_and\_** **NOOO YOU IMBECILES THAT WILL RUIN EVERYTHING!** "

Well, this is quite worrying.

The misshapen jumble of letters gets more dense for a moment, screeching onto itself with a silent yell that both startles and hurts your being. The giant silhouettes of numerous hands are getting too close for comfort, surrounding you like they want to squeeze you in their grasp. Yet before you are properly scared they recoil and the entity calms itself down.

" _no_ \NO\ ** _No it will not_**. DO IT\ ** _Achieve it_** \ _make it happen._ MAKE IT STOP\ _begin anew\_ **A THOUSAND TIMES** ** _\if need be_** **_and then_** REWIND/ ** _reset_** / _rewrite_ **THE WORLD** \ _the underground_. _please_ \ **DON'T EVEN DARE TO DENY** \I BEG OF YOU\ ** _We count on you._**

With the silent rustle the pages turn back and with them moving the void and its inhabitant melt away.

What comes next is a blur.

Page one. Tall trees, small outpost, a thick layer of fresh snow. The welcoming chill of the latter is currently surrounding your aching head.

'berry… why…' Sans coughs out as soon as he's able to speak through the flashes of phantom pain in your fused souls.

'I'm sorry…' Is all that you are able to whine back, before fainting.

The blackout didn't last long. You figured as much because after you open your eye sockets and finish shaking the snow out of them you still can't notice any signs of Papyrus. The pain is gone as well and you're back to your regular after-reset shape of horribleness.

With a dash of worry you let out your souls to examine them. They seem to be the same as before. No new scars at least, just the old one. You hover your thumb above the white stripe and sigh, noticing the illusion of Sans near you, drilling you with a disapproving stare.

'I'm really sorry I acted so recklessly. And, I mean, we're alive but-'

'that was extremely dangerous," he blurts out, interrupting you.

'Yeah.'

'moronic. '

'Uhu…'

'insane.'

'Definitely.'

'thanks.'

'I k- Wait what?'

'it worked out and who am i to complain? but, please, never do that again.'

'You know I can't promise you that…'

'...i know.'

'H-hey!' You sniff and push a smile onto your face. 'Let's look at the bright side! Everyone's alive, us, Frisk and Asgore and… we found Gaster! Or, more like, he found us, huh... Isn't that kinda awesome?'

'i'm brimming with happiness.' his words don't sound enthusiastic and you would think that he's being sarcastic, but the feelings in his souls suggest that he's, indeed, feeling happy about that. It's just that he's still not too happy about the cost.

'Hah. Well, though, um… Are you sure we can trust him...?'

'who? gaster? hm… he's supposed to be my brother, so 'course we can trust him.' His words don't sound certain enough to you.

'That's fine and all but you said so yourself that you don't remember what kind of a person he once was and he most definitely has gone bonkers. Did you even hear the stuff he said? Like "slaves" or "don't dare to deny"? Doesn't seem all that nice.'

'he could've changed while being stuck out there, but a brother is still a brother. hopefully, he won't be a _bother_.'

You shake your head both at the subtle and very much terrible joke and because of the confusion enveloping your mind. 'But what are we even supposed to do now? Break the barrier? Or not? And how? Should we just let Frisk deal with this? You know I'm not a fan of that idea...'

'i know, but that's what we gotta do now. to wait and see what gonna happen.'

'And why is that?'

'let's say i have a hunch.'

'THAT'S IT?' You huff with indignation. 'There are so many lives at stake, no one knows what to do, even Gaster himself doesn't seem to be sure and all that we should follow is a hunch!?'

'look, berry.' Sans says, tiredly. 'i can't do anything, for obvious reasons, so it's all up to ya. all i can do is ask. so i ask you to trust me on this one.'

'I really want to but… I'm so confused, Sans... Oh, well,' you let out a sigh, 'Let's see how it goes.'

"A thief! Thief! Stay away from my hat!"

The wall of sharp icicles darts out of the snow, hiding an annoyed monster from a lively kid in a striped sweater.

It's been a few hours since the forced reset. You've only just met that slightly-charred-from-the-encounter-with-Toriel cute bean and yet they already have given you a hug, a few disapproving huffs and ran forward towards the monsters and the puzzles. This time their first encounter happened with the unfortunate fashionable snowman.

The friendly menace that is Frisk keeps jumping around, teasing and bullying an indignantly screaming Ice Cap. His attacks, though they look incredibly dangerous, don't frighten the kid at all. They simply walk around the walls, dodging the single icicles and making mock attempts to steal from him. With a lucky swing of their stick they manage to knock off the icy hat and witness the monster turning into an ice block. You can't hear from afar, but they seem to consult the sad block of ice, which surely is nice, but they still took the hat with them. What a cheeky devil.

Rocking shiny new headwear, their ever-present can-do attitude and your watchful eye socket, they stroll through the snowy land sans any problems. Though they've decided to take their time walking around the town, trying to sell the hat in the shop, inevitably failing and buying a dozen of cinnamon bunnies instead. Where did they even find so much money?

After that, hardworking Ice Wolf caught their attention and they stop, watching, mesmerized, as the fuzzy, muscular paws grab block after block, throwing them into the river. They hop the fence, to get a closer look, you assume, but then they jump onto the last ice block in a row and drift along the current with that very childish glee, god knows how they manage to hold onto the slippery surface, leaving you behind to pick up your slacked jaw.

Regardless or maybe because of their bizarre antics you do trust Frisk now. This was the first time you greeted them at the exit out of the Ruins with a genuine smile and just let them go forward because they know what they're doing. Maybe even better than you do. So far you've decided to roll with everything they might get themselves into and let them handle obstacles on their own. No matter how badly you might want to help. At least that gives you a chance to explore the underground once more, but not too far away from the kid in case they do need your help. And while both you and Frisk are left to your own accounts, you have another thing to tend to.

With a newfound critical eye and assurance that you aren't insane and there is a chance of rescuing the lost scientists you aim to examine every turn, every niche and even the smallest cracks in the walls, in a vain hope that this will give you some clue on how the heck you supposed to gather up the puzzle pieces that is Gaster.

While you lurk in the shadows, staring at some especially suspicious rock, something catches your attention. Somewhere behind the turn that Frisk just took the small pile of dirt moved slightly and in a burst of pebbles a yellow flower pops out of the ground. It looks around, shaking the dust from its petals, without noticing you.

'Here you are, you little weed! What in the world are you scheming now...?' you wonder silently, not planning to come up and ask him that any time soon.

He looks incredibly cute to be honest, with his cartoony face and bright petals. Too cute. You know better than to fall for that. No, the shadow of the underground's prince is soulless, mischievous and nothing but trouble. How ironic is this that it's on him the freedom of monsters depends right now? The hope remains that even if you scared him away before, Flowey will show up this time and the kid can defeat him. It's not set in stone and it's risky, stupidly so, but what other choice do you have?

Not much.

Remaining unmoving in order not to betray your observing point, you let Flowey look around and spot Frisk as they walk through the water listening to the whispers of the Echo flowers and to disappear sneakily back into the ground. If there's any monster that Flowey is afraid of it must be Sans. Better not give him any idea that you teamed up with Frisk or else who knows in what way his plans will change.

The time sure flows slowly when you aren't in charge of things. It feels like forever has passed and yet when you stumble upon the kid once again they have barely made any progress. You find them a bit lost in the waterfall labyrinth, seems like they've never been in this part before. They are looking at the same dead end again, frowning and pulling their lip with their fingers, thinking where could they have gone wrong.

You can relate to them. You're also feeling like you've met the dead end with your searches. There's nothing you can do at the moment but wait and hope for Frisk to break the barrier with who knows what happening after that point.

Stumbling in the darkness, Frisk pokes some impressively big mushroom that releases a cloud of glowing spores which light up one section of the path. Once reaching the dead end, they look around and turn back to find another mushroom, going past the entrance to the Temmie village.

'Wait, Temmie village!? How could've I forgotten about them?'

You curse silently. There is no wonder you forgot to visit it. You always used teleportation to get past all of the tedious and time-consuming puzzles in this part of the underground, even when you were just up for a walk. Though it's not too late to fix this oversight!

A pile of Temmies rallies to you as soon as you stroll past the signs. They appear seemingly out of nowhere, like you could swear you couldn't see anybody just a moment ago and now you are surrounded by a shambling wall of floppy ears and wagging tails.

"SaSn! Snas! SEns! H0i!1" they bark and mewl in many voices. "L0okit skellyton! Sceltons r so cUte! Amlost like hOOmans bt haVe no muscels! yaYa!" That ingenious revelation leaves you choking on laughter. "hav seEn hooman? tem can smEl! tem Goota pet CUTE! HUMN!" Oh. OH. Tem smel allEgy, iS hooMan somver nEar? TeM gotTs find an pEt cutE hoOman!"

And just like that the little stampede runs off. Not even surprising.

However, one single Temmie is still left in the village. It walks towards you oddly calmly and gracefully for such a floppy creature. After a moment of pondering you think you recall who this might be.

"Hey, Bob."

"Hi Sans. You seem different today. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you acquire a human soul? Yes-yes," he nods to himself. "You are not actually Sans. I can see as much. You should probably discuss this issue with…" his voice falls to a whisper for a moment." The Dog. I do believe you know, who am I talking about."

As you stare, dumbfounded, attempting to process his implications and find something to say the mysterious cat-dog gives you another slight nod, says, "Glad being able to assist, my friend. Good day." and walks away.

As the white tail disappears behind the corner and you are left alone the realization explodes in your head like industrial dynamite.

'Sans, it's a shame that you can't hold me because I'm about to do something insane! Again!'


	28. There is something annoying about this

'and what's that supposta mean?' Sans asks as you giddily hop into the shortcut.

'It's about time for us to get some answers.' You probably sound rather cryptic, yet you have your reasons to act this way.

You reappear only to grab an umbrella from the bin, quickly teleporting again to place it on top of a lonely, sad statue. Something clicks within the statue and the music box quietly begins to play. The melody echoes down the hallways, bouncing off of the rough cave stones, intertwining with the chimes of the raindrops.

This music stirs emotions inside of your chest. Emotions you had forgotten about as they were pushed back by the more urgent events. You don't exactly have time for this now as well, but for the shortest moment you let it hurt while you memorize the notes once again.

The piano puzzle takes only a few attempts to be solved before the magical door disappears like it was never there and you enter the secret room that used to throw so many innocent players into the state of bewilderment.

Immediately, you notice that something feels odd, though at first you don't really get what exactly is off. Yet as soon as you look down you see a small white dog that you now somehow hold in your hands.

'oh, hey! that's my pal," Sans exclaims with slight notes of both surprise and happiness. 'haven't seen him in a while. hm. wait.' He huffs, shooting you a side-glance. 'don't tell me ya came all the way here just to pet a puppy. we have, like, half of the snowdin for that.'

You just ignore Sans' remarks for now. If you fail, at least he won't think you're insane.

"Hey there lil fella," you coo in a slightly nervous tone.

The dog is either actually sleeping or pretending, you aren't sure, but it doesn't pay you any attention regardless. You bring your shaking hand closer to the dog's head, scratching behind the fluffy ear and the dog makes a cute sleepy sound.

That gives you a little bit of courage, so you man up and call out, "Toby?"

The body in your arms stops snoring and tenses a little bit.

"Toby Fox?"

The dog's head snaps, making a 180 degree turn to face you with its black button eyes. These eyes pierce you to the very core with their lifeless gaze, forcing your soul to freeze in horror.

" **_HOW?_ ** " The beaming voice comes seemingly out of nowhere and yet it echoes all around and even inside of your skull. " **_HOW DID YOU FOUND OUT MY TRUE NAME, SANS?_ ** "

It occurs to you that you might've just made a mistake.

You gulp down your non-existent throat and respond in a small, shaky voice, while trying to hide your head in your shoulders, "I-I... I am actually not Sans."

The echoing stops abruptly and the dog tilts his head, losing all the menace, magically transforming back to being adorable.

"You do look awfully like Sans." A sudden change to a tiny, cutesy voice nearly breaks you into snickering, but you struggle to keep up a straight face. "Well, who are you then?"

"I'm not sure…? I don't remember much. But I know that I'm a human, who somehow ended up in Sans' body..." It's hard to pick out the right words. You probably should've prepared better for this, but who would've guessed that this would actually work?

"Huh. Thought you acted kinda funny lately. Was about to fix that actually... but forgot." Toby yawns and stretches, his interest towards you dissipating as quickly as he'd gained it as he tries shifting into a more comfortable position."

Several minutes pass in silence as you try to figure out what to say. Meanwhile, your arms are getting tired. This pooch is pretty dang heavy.

Then you start to hear snoring.

"Toby…?"

"Borf? Ah, it's still you." He yawns again. His yawns are so long and full of so much enjoyment it's actually kind of contagious. "I think I know how you got here."

"Some relatively short time ago," he begins to explain, "I was playing around and got kinda carried away. Rammed my head into the dimensional wall… It still hurts!" He lifts his front paw and points at the small bump between his ears. "I think I broke it a little bit, I mean, the wall… but it's like glass and repairs itself so it should be all good now."

You've quickly lost the thread of this conversation so you decide just to ask straight forward, "It's all very interesting and I'm sorry about your head, but... Can you… Can you actually send me back home? To my own body? Theoretically...?"

"Mmmaybe…?" He stretches out rolling his eyes and then spreading his front paws in bewilderment. "Or maybe not."

You stare unblinkingly in front of you, digesting this revelation.

"Awh don't be sad" He pats your face with his paw. The feeling of a soft and cold paw pads on your cheekbones forces you to shiver. "You're okay for now, right? And, well... Make yourself at home, I guess…? No...? Well of course you're gonna be sad! You humans are always so unhappy! Well! You... You can also…" He looks around and his gaze lingers on an artifact. "Play with my ball! That'll surely cheer you up!"

"A ball...?"

"Yes, I came here to take my ball, because it's... well... it's MY ball. No one can have it! But I will allow you to play with it. For some time... But I'll take it back later!" He scrunches his nose in a funny expression and sneezes.

"Ummm... Thank you?"

Suddenly, something starts to ring and vibrate. The sound comes from… inside of the dog?

"Oh, gotta go. Busy-busy-busy no time to chit-chat. Have fuuuuun!"

With that he runs off. But of course, he wouldn't do it like a normal dog. He doesn't just run, doesn't fly, doesn't even go through a wall. He starts to run in a way that is impossible to keep track of. Like he's floating away through the fourth wall. It hurts to look at this nonsense and when you blink... he's gone.

You wonder wh-

 _taka-taka-taka_

Wait what was that…

 _bark-bark!_

What? How did you get here!?

 _CRASH_

NO! Stop! Bad dog!

 _grrr!_

STOP CHEWING THE SCRIPT!

 _static_

 _TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE STAND BY._


	29. The true beginning

...and when you blink - he's gone.

It kind of leaves you wondering if your teleportation looks the same to others.

The room is completely empty now, with the artifact still lying on the pedestal. You make few uncertain steps forward, stretch out your hand, reaching for the red, gleaming sphere and just... take it.

And that's it. You're actually holding in your hands something that no one ever managed to obtain. You aren't sure if you should feel special though because you can't even tell what this thing is for. The artifact is hard, smooth and cold to the touch, like a bowling ball, but without holes for fingers. For something that looks and feels like stone it's surprisingly lightweight. Other than that, you can't seem to notice anything unusual.

'Do you have any idea what this thing is?'

'a bowling ball with no holes for fingers?'

"Wh… Hah, okay, mister mind reader.' You let out a surprised snicker. 'But seriously though. What is this?'

'beats me.' Sans shrugs in his usual manner. 'it's the first time i've seen this ball anyway. i suppose ya know more than me about it.'

'Well… Kind of. All I know is that Undyne had found it at the dump and then put it as a prize for solving her piano puzzle. But in the game, no one could ever take it because the dog would arrive and steal it. That's about it.'

'it definitely contains some sorta magic. that much i can tell. if you think it's important then we should ask somebody,' he suggests and then shifts from leg to leg, before asking, 'and… uh… by the way. what the absolute heck just happened?'

'Oh! Yeah, about that…' You giggle nervously. 'You've just met your creator…? Confusing, right?'

'uh… what? that pooch?'

'Yep. For all I know he might be the most powerful being in the world, but it seems he's too lazy to care… or to help… Hm. Wait.' Your eye sockets widen from a sudden realization. 'Wait a minute... DIMENSIONAL WALL!? He said "dimensional wall", right? So… So does it mean that I'm from a DIFFERENT world? THIS is a DIFFERENT WORLD!?'

'hm... it does make sense.' Somehow Sans doesn't seem to be fazed by this information at all. 'if you're from an alternate reality where this world is mirrored in a game, that at the very least explains why you can remember gaster while nearly everyone down here forgot 'bout him.'

'Oh man… But... but... How do I go back then…? Toby said that the hole in the wall should be gone, so...' You rub the sweat crawling from your forehead and stare at your trembling bony palm. 'Well. It's not like I could've done that while looking like this, but it just... It just would've been nice to know that I have a chance, I guess…'

'i getcha, buddy. i sure getcha.' Sans nods understandingly, eye sockets closed. 'unfortunately, all i can suggest right now is to take things as they go.'

You sigh deeply. 'Yeah...'

Step by step you trail back, growing more and more sour with each passing second. Lost in thought too deeply to even use a shortcut, you take some time to reflect on the information you've gotten so far.

'So another world, huh…?'

That does make too much sense. How else could all this magic and monsters remain unnoticed through the ages and with all of the modern technology nonetheless? Yet it doesn't explain in the slightest what you're doing here, inside of Sans' body and with nearly zero personal memory about yourself.

Though, you should've figured that nothing comes easily when it comes to Toby. The information you've gleaned raises only more strange questions than you already had. Like why hadn't you met him before? The annoying dog appears multiple times throughout the game and this "local" Sans clearly saw him before you entered the picture. Or why didn't he realize that someone else was in control of Sans if he really is the god of this world? On top of all that he could've simply lied to you with his every word. Just because. Just to mess with you.

What kind of a game have you gotten dragged into?

'Well, obviously it's Undertale,' you think to yourself with a bitter smile. Then the smile slides from your face as you slide down to sit beside the water.

"I understand nothing and I'm so, so tired of that..."

You look upon the water's surface that shows you Sans' weary features and sigh. The reflection ripples and suddenly smiles and winks at you. You flinch, caught off-guard and hear Sans' chuckling. 'you do like reflecting, dontcha?'

Casting a weak smile back you do not answer, yet silently agree.

'Shake it off, Berry!' you finally think to yourself, splashing your face with some glowy water. 'Let's remain positive here. We have a strange artifact on our hands, maybe there is something to it after all. Sans is right, for logic dictates that we should ask someone about it. But who can possibly be wise enough and have an affinity with the old stuff? Old stuff…' you ponder continuously. 'Old… Stuff… Gerson!'

That's got to be the most fitting person for the given description. Supposedly, that turtle lived through the rise and the fall of the monster race and seem to know quite a lot.

"A customer in this day and age? What a rare sight for an old eye to see, wahaha!" An incredibly creaky laughter welcomes you as you enter the small cave. "Come on in, come on in, don't be shy."

"Hello," you drop, making your way closer to the counter.

The ancient shopkeeper is holding it together tightly. The years have turned most of his green skin into wrinkles and moles, yet his posture remains firm and there's just something behind his one good eye that strikes you as both playful and powerful.

"Well, hello to you too, sonny! What brings you here? I reckon not to buy some of my garbage." He gestures at the clutter of crates and baskets filled with food and wares in various states of wear. "Because you have a lot of that yourself, wahah!"

"You sure can see right through me with that eye of yours." You smirk and present the magic-but-not eight ball to him. "I want to know as much as possible about this thing. Figured I'd ask you."

"Ohh, expertise? Lucky you, I was very good at this… a while ago. Well. Let's see what I can do."

He takes the sphere from your hands and examines it's thoroughly. Looking at it from all possible angles through the magnifying glass, sniffing it and even biting its surface after opening his beak-like mouth very, disturbingly wide.

"You know what? This does seem very familiar!" Your hope and curiosity perk up. "But I don't remember!" Well, of course. "Sorry, kid, I've seen so much in my day, it's hard to keep all of that in my noggin. You might want to try asking someone who's a tad bit younger than I am."

You aren't even surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. You had a feeling he wouldn't remember, but it was worth a try.

"Good luck, sonny!" he throws into your back as you bid him a hasty farewell. "And buy something next time, ya skelly wag!"

'Welp, that was a fail.' You think partly to yourself and partly addressing Sans, as you lean to one of the clean-ish looking cave walls. 'Now who else we can possibly ask?'

'i think it's fairly obvious.'

'Uh?'

'you were the one who said that he's supposed to be the smartest monster underground.'

You smack your face. 'Gaster! Right!'

'one more reason to save him, isn't it?' The skeleton's illusion smirks at you as he relishes in his small victory of logic.

'I guess…' you stretch out fumbling with the ball in your hands.

'heh. throw it into the pocket void.' He nods at the artifact. 'then we won't lose it even after a reset.'

'Oh! That's a good idea.' Quickly you do your little magic trick and hope it will work just as well with the artifact as with the rest of the stored items.

'By the way.' You recall something once you're done lurking around the void. 'You still haven't said anything about Toby. What do you think of all this?'

'and whaddya expect me to say?' Sans smiles, but you sense some sort of tension behind this smile. 'should i be happy? should i be sad? or maybe terrified? 'cause i dunno. haven't digested this revelation yet. have no guts for that anyway.'

'Pff. You would joke about that.'

'you know i would. though i'm also serious. i don't know what to do with this knowledge.'

'Yeah… I don't really know either.'

Remaining confused and kind of lost, you both decide to check on Frisk. You know they shouldn't be too far away, so you stick to waiting for them at the dump. Admittedly, not the most luxurious of places, yet some would say it is the best spot for picking up dates.

You sit at the edge of the falling water on something incredibly old and rusty. Judging by the shape and a few clean-ish white spots it might've been a fridge at some point. The black abyss before you is gaping it's insatiable maw, feasting on the endless flow of unwanted garbage. The stream draws with it item after item. Old stuffed toys, broken glasses, one lonely sock without a pair... They all fall and fall down until the darkness swallows them.

It's hard to look away from this hypnotizing scene. Though a very loud and angry voice manages to pull your attention.

"You just walked right past them… without even saying hi!" the voice wails with unbridled indignation. "Rude. Rude! RUDE!"

A few fast steps through the water and a look around the corner reveal the possessed dummy floating threateningly above Frisk's head. Seems like the kid got past you while you were distracted.

"They were so sad they couldn't stand it! So they…. fell over… and didn't get up! Human! By the end of this fight you won't be able to get up either! HAHAHAHA!"

You're unable to hear what they're saying behind the wall of crazed laughter, but apparently Frisk is trying to convince the dummy not to fight. Though it's clear that the possessed mannequin is having none of that.

"You moron, ghosts are the strongest monsters! You have to really try hard to force a ghost to do something that a ghost doesn't want to do! Physical attacks don't hurt us, we can't be mind controlled, even magic is weak against us! AHAHAHA! GHOSTS ARE SIMPLY THE BEST!" They snap out of their bragging for a moment. "I… Ignore what I just said about magic…"

Sack dummies, metal dummies, magical projectiles - all of that is flying all over the place. This dump is probably having the busiest day in its existence. It's really getting ridiculous as you see a bunch of magical, yet actually, very real-looking mini-missiles flying towards Frisk, but the kid manages to dodge all of them somehow.

The single knife flies by, Mad Dummy throws a tantrum and the saviour has finally arrived. You're smiling looking up at the best shy ghost descending from the above, driving their cousin away with stinging tears.

"oh… i didn't mean to interrupt …. it looked like you guys were having fun..."

Frisk immediately waves their hands in disagreement.

"you aren't angry at me? really? oh…. good…"

The two of them have a bit of a conversation.

"you're invited to my ghost house… i won't insist… but i thought i'd offer… oh and your friends can come too… if they want…."

'Friends…?' You can't help raising your brow bone. 'Are they talking about me? But how do they-'

The kid follows the friendly ghost and gestures for you to follow them too. Confused, you don't find anything to say or do against that.

"this is my house… it's not much…. as you can see…. but… make yourself at home…?"

Blooky isn't kidding. The opened door reveals to you one small room that seems to have been falling apart for ages. It doesn't have a bed or any kind of kitchen, just a computer on a table, a TV on the floor, a fridge, and cobwebs in each and every corner.

You just lean against a wall while Frisk is snooping around. After them pointing at the fridge the ghost host offers Frisk a spectral sandwich, but it obviously proves to be inedible. To improve the mood you share a stashed hot dog with your little pal as Blooky nibbles on their own food.

"after a great meal…. i like to lie on the floor and feel like garbage… it's a family tradition… do you want… to join…?"

"Don't have to ask me twice, buddy! I can practically feel myself feeling like garbage already," you proclaim cheerfully and lie down. Frisk simply follows your lead.

In a matter of minutes of staring up at the ceiling your mind drifts off to a familiar place. The void is swaying like a sea, rocking you on its waves, as the letters are compiling into words of encouragement that you forget as soon as you read them.

Your skull feels itchy and kind of dizzy, but you also feel rather decent. Like you had a lengthy nap. You open your eye sockets that you don't remember closing and your concerns are confirmed. The floor around you is empty and that means you fell asleep and Frisk has already left.

Blooky is still here though. You find them hovering before an old TV that is currently showing some sort of static.

"oh… hey…" They notice your stare. "i'm sorry, but you've missed the show… ohhh i should've woken you up i'm so sorry…"

'Da heck!? How long have I been asleep?' A panicked thought darts across your mind, but out loud you respond, "I-it's okay! It's alright! Now, please, tell me… was there a burst of white light outside?"

"you noticed that too…? it was pretty weird… like that light was trying to get here, but… i didn't invite it so… i didn't let it in… oh… was it your friend?"

"Yes… No… I don't know…? A-anyway. Thanks for everything, Blooky! I gotta go now."

Dashing out of the house you can't help shouting, "Holy smokes! I can't believe it actually worked!" Though the following second your mood shifts. 'Did it actually work…? We have to check.'

A step into the shortcut leads you to the throne room. Luckily it's empty and you peer behind the corner to witness the gathering of monsters, surrounding Frisk and asking them all sorts of questions.

That is it then. The barrier truly is destroyed. You can't help feeling left out, but at least what had to be done is done now. But… what's next?

Not forgetting the dreadful experience of Toriel seeing your human soul you've decided to get out of dodge, giving the kid some time with their friends.

Taking Toriel's advice, or maybe seeking to meet you again, they decide to turn back and explore the underground some more before heading outside. That's good. That gives you an opportunity to think.

It takes quite a bit as they wander through the same corridors, talking with shocked, yet happy monsters, until they backtrack to the very beginning. Somehow you knew that was gonna happen, you had a feeling for it. So you're already there, stalking the shadows and listening to the quiet whispers echoing down the halls.

"They... weren't really the greatest person."

"But do you miss them?"

"...of course I do."

The sounds of these soft, tiny voices and what they are saying tug at your figurative heartstrings so hard you can nearly hear the melody they emit. It takes a huge effort not to step outside, to hug them both and to say that everything will be alright, but, unfortunately, it's not a part of the plan.

"Don't kill and don't get killed, alright? That's the best you can strive for."

There's a bit of awkward silence.

"Well, you ought to go now. Everyone is waiting for you."

"But what about you?"

"Me? Hah… Someone has to take care of these flowers."

The silence grows again until the familiar words come like a knife to the soul.

"Frisk… Don't you have anything better to do?"

You're huddling in the corner, bravely suppressing your tears. It hurts, oh it hurts so much. A lot stronger than when it was just a game. To hear his voice, to imagine his big, watery eyes full of unshed tears, it's too much for a sap such as you.

'Sans…?'

'mm?'

'We're going to save Gaster, right?'

'that's the plan anyways. why?'

'How about… We try to save Asriel too?'

'huh. didn't frisk just kinda did that?'

'Ehhh It's both "yes" and... "no". More of a "no" actually. I mean that can't be right! He'll turn into a flower and then… To leave this kid here, all alone and without a soul… How is this considered saving?'

'i 'unno. don't you think he deserves some kind of a timeout to stand in the corner and think about his behavior? considering just how many nasty things he has done? he just said so himself.'

'Yeah, but…'

'if he changes his mind he can always ask for help or just leave. no one's going to keep him here, y'know.'

'Well…'

'and also-'

You stomp your foot interrupting him with a mental shout, 'I KNOW!'

'I know, alright?' you think, quickly cooling down, ' But there has to be a better fate for him. You have that feeling about your brother, that you have to help him and I have that feeling about Asriel. I just… EVEN IF IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! Still! I want to try!'

Sans gives you a funny side glance, closes his eye sockets and then his shoulders jerk in a soundless laughter. 'sometimes i forget that at moments like these there's no logic to your actions. just kindness.'

'Well, if it wasn't for that,' you grumble, staring down at the floor beneath your feet, 'I wouldn't be searching for a way to save your creepy and suspicious brother right now.'

He chuckles slightly, sighs and utters, 'okay. why not. give it a shot.'

But you aren't satisfied with that answer.

'Will you help me?'

'heh…' He smirks bitterly. 'how?'

'Somehow! You're the smart one here, not me!'

'okay…?'

'Ah stop wriggling around like a snake in butter! Promise me! Promise me that you'll help save Asriel!'

'sheesh, berry. calm down. i see it's important to you but… ya know that i hate making promises, right?'

'Yeah.' You nod firmly. 'And that's exactly why I'm asking you to make one! Because you do take them seriously and keep them till it's literally the end of the world.'

Sans breathes out and shakes his head. 'i just can't say no to you, can i…?' he mumbles mostly to himself. 'you…' he coughs, hesitating, but then continues, 'you have my promise.'

'Thank you, Sans…' Torn apart by a wide mix of various feelings you press your hands to your chest and smile. 'You are the best.'

A few minutes later you find Frisk crying in the purple corridor, hugging their knees and rocking back and forth. You flop beside them and they shudder glancing up at you to see your pained and understanding smile.

"It's hard, isn't it?"

They keep looking, tears dripping down their face and you pull them into the side hug.

"I feel you, buddy."

You two sit like this, all the while you're trying to gather up the courage and the right words. You know it's going to be painful, long and you have no idea if you're going to succeed or not, because each time you get involved with anything it always turns into an incredible fiasco, but… damned if you don't try anyway!

Deep breath.

"Frisk. I can't go to the surface. And I can't let you or anyone else go there either."

Their expression shifts slightly into confusion and worry.

"Because we can't leave everything like this. There are people who deserve better fates than staying behind. So… What do you think about helping them? Helping HIM?"

The burst of determination from the kid is almost palpable.


	30. Rinse and repeat

You knew what you're getting yourself into.

Resetting the world to shake up the timelines, doing a clean sweep of the entire Underground, trying to find something that might help you to save those who are lost and can't see the light. That's what you've been asked to do, that's what you have chosen to do, that's what you feel is the right thing to do.

So you thought you were prepared.

Yet these endless loops are awful, painful, exhausting. Much more so than you could have anticipated. It takes a lot from you, more and more with each restart. Not to stab yourself - it's not even scary when you know you're just going to come back. Or at least that's what you're saying to yourself. A sharp inhale, a quick dash of the bone needle, a burst of immense pain followed by the darkness slowly consuming you and pulling your soul into the nothingness. All of that is almost mechanical for you at this point.

No. The hardest part comes when you have to pry yourself from the ground, stand up and do the same things all over and over, again and again. Same locations, same people, same day... everything is always the same. You've lost the count of the resets a while ago. It might've been a dozen or a few hundred, you can't tell. Sans probably knows the exact number, but you don't care enough to ask. That wouldn't change anything. Nothing changes here. Well, maybe just a little bit, but that just fools you into a false sense of hope that this is the timeline where you will finally find something. Which hasn't happened yet.

You vividly remember the starting point, the "first" reset in this series of resets. How you have left Frisk alone in a secret place, away from all the monsters, in a faint fear that they might change the kid's mind about taking away this half-baked happy ending. You remember the tears in their eyes as they bid you goodbye, the struggle in Sans' soul as he saw the needle in your trembling hand, remember your survival instinct kicking in. Then the pain and the void, first black and then black and white as some mysterious part of the scattered scientist appeared before your soul.

" **A LABORANT** , _a watchman_ , A DOCTOR, **_an assistant_**." The echo of the soundless voices were weak and fleeting, barely registerable, struggling to even say a word, yet at the same time a lot more coordinated and comprehensible than before. It seemed like there were less of them too. " **FIND THEM** _and find_ **_the memory_**. **BRING** _everything_ TOGETHER. FIND... _the way_... **_One eight three seven six one six…_** "

Then the voices faded away and you've waited for what felt like forever - the silence and the presence of Sans' soul your only company - until the pages finally turn back.

* * *

'What could all of that possibly mean?' you ponder for the upteempth time on the only clue that you have. It's all you can do anyway while tailing Frisk for the same old journey. 'To find a laborant, an assistant, etc that's obviously about the followers. But the memory? Should we find some kind of memorabilia? Or maybe something in Gaster's computer that might help? And these numbers in the end? Is that some kind of a code? It can't be the numbers of the resets, there are too many of them to correlate with the followers, not to mention that none of them showed up after the first reset. We've checked EVERYTHING!'

'hopefully anyway,' Sans voices out your concern.

You don't really want to think about it this way. If you've missed someone back there then everything you're doing now doesn't even have a point.

'If only Gaster could show up again and explain what he meant!'

'heh. we have zero brains for the two of us, sure,' your pal smirks, closing one of his eye sockets, 'but give us 'least a smidgen of a credit. we can figure this out.'

'Alright, well… Your thoughts so far?'

'it doesn't remind me of anythin' we worked on. at least from what i can remember. most common numeric ciphers doesn't make for much sense either.'

'Goddammit…'

'but…' he presses on, not letting you to interrupt him. 'i have a theory. and we're close to the point where we can actually check it.'

'Really? What is it!?'

'don't get yer hopes up. we'll have to see. so let's just... try again...'

His head is down and his gaze is averted, and you think you know why. The reset is the least of what he would've wanted to suggest considering how much pain they've caused him prior and at what cost they currently come. That means, however, that he has a fairly solid lead. So despite what Sans asked of you - your hopes get up.

* * *

Another round of searching inbound.

You carefully tread the marshy pathways of Waterfall while Frisk is running up ahead, playing with Kid and the other kids they grew attached to during the resets.

This time they know exactly how to get on the shark girl's good side. It only took them a couple of minutes before all four - Kid, Kat, Cood and Frisk - agreed to become pirates and to team up in search of a ship to sail and a treasure to dig up.

Lucky they have a clear goal in mind. For you there is still no certainty what exactly you should be looking for. Sans refuses to hint anything further about his theory, which makes you pissed, but you know if he's decided on something that it's next to impossible to change his mind, so you leave him alone. Instead you concentrate on the task and take your time for an even more thorough approach than usual.

All the cracks in the walls, all the usual faces, all the blue flowers. Everything around is so familiar at this point. Such familiarity is both devastating, nostalgic, lonesome and oddly comforting. А contradictory mix of feelings. Like walking through the house of your grandparents that recently passed away.

The dash of purple from around the corner, a bump into your chest and a pull on your sleeve forces you to quit your mulling and to run after the rampant child, who's pointing excitedly and impatiently at something.

"Gah, kid, take it easy! You got me spooked. What's goi-" The sight opened up to you leaves you stunned and speechless.

Before you lies a little pond you're sure you've seen a bunch already, but at the edge of said pond you see something entirely new. A small and very dull figure. It's so dull that even the world around it seems to be slightly devoid of colour.

"Nobody knows… not even you…" the quiet, melancholic, slightly distorted singing echoes across the secluded cave. "No one knows who I am."

'It's… It's… IT IS ONE OF THEM! Oh my freaking god WE FOUND ONE! We actually... found one...' you repeat to yourself, failing to believe in your success.

'don't just stand and look. go get 'em!' Sans smirks, nudging you into action.

Shaking from overwhelming emotions you gesture Frisk to stay behind and proceed sneaking towards the lonely silhouette. When you realize that you are too sneaky and aren't even being noticed you let out a polite cough.

"Sans..?" The Goner Kid, and it could only be them, now that you see their dinosaur-like features and a checkered poncho, turns around and stares you down, until coming to a conclusion, "No… You aren't Sans. How did you- Who a- Ah... That doesn't really matter, does it? You will forget about me anyway."

You have no time to even be surprised at the fact of them figuring out that you aren't actually Sans. The only respond you managed to come up with is, "No I won't!"

"Everyone in the world already did." Their voice, just like their expression, holds no emotion.

"Well wouldn't you know it!" You smile cheekily. "I am actually not from this world! I even knew you before we met, so don't you worry about that."

They just keep staring, as if looking right through you. It doesn't seem like they believe you.

"Look... I'm not here just to talk. I'm here to help! Don't you want to come back?"

"I'm afraid that is impossible. I'm gone. There is no going back for me."

"Oh don't say that! What about your friends? About your family? They still miss you! Maybe, they can't remember you in the common sense, but anyway... I'm sure once they see you again they will be very happy!"

"They are happy the way they are."

'kind of a downer kid we got ourselves, amiright?' you hear Sans' chuckling, yet you know that he's just as concerned as you are. You both weren't ready to face such blatant rejection of help.

"Ugh. Just tell me your name, please. I'll search for them, remind them of you and then you'll see that they actually miss you without even realizing it!"

They stay silent for a while, before answering, "No. I don't want to. Remembering my name... it hurts. This is some kind of a mistake that you saw me. You will forget."

With a growl of frustration you press on. "It is not a mistake! I was looking for you for literally forever and I'm not going to just give up now!"

"I don't care. Go away." They turn around and now it's becoming hard for you to concentrate on their features. They start to melt away as if they always were nothing but a mere mirage. "Live your life and forget about me."

You hiss through clenched teeth. You might never see them again if they'll disappear right now! "Wait! Please wait just a second! Give me a chance to change your mind!"

The grey figure slowly dissolves into mist. What was their legs just a moment ago now covers the lake's surface.

You close your eye sockets tightly and blurt out your last desperate attempt to get their attention, "Suzy! Stop it!"

They turn back at you in a blink of an eye. The hollow, unblinking eyes aren't looking at you, no, they're drilling you like two white laser drills.

"You know my name... You remember it... How...?"

You're so relieved you could faint right now if you could afford that luxury. It _is_ her. Thank god you've managed to recall her name.

"Some monster told me…" you say evasively. It was so long ago when you last saw that video, it's surprising you even remembered it or that your instinct was right. "But it's not only you that I remember, Suzy, I remember all of the guys who disappeared with you! We will bring you all back!"

"But that's… That's impossible…" she says, but now her voice doesn't sound so sure.

"It is!" you happily agree. "But if we won't try to do the impossible, who will?"

"How?"

This simple questions throws you for a loop.

Right she is. Gaster clearly said that you have to bring them all together, but... how? She's just barely holding herself in this plane of existence as it is, so there is no way you'll manage to bring her even through one reset.

'There has to be something we can do! There must be something! Think! THINK QUICK!'

'no need to panic.' Sans butts into your running thoughts. 'there is one and only one solution to this.'

'Which is…?'

'you know it. the pocket void.'

'OH! That might work! ...are you sure it'll work?' You cast a quick glance at Suzy, who still stares at you with blank, expressionless gaze. She's still kind of see-through. 'Is that place safe for… y'know… living beings? Will she even be able to handle it?'

Sans simply shrugs instead of an answer.

'Right… We don't really have any other choice, do we?' You sigh quietly and then look up with a hopefully confident expression. "Please, I need you to follow me into a weird place. You might even know it, I'm not sure. You will have to stay there for… I honestly don't know for how long. But I'm pretty sure it's your only way to come back to normality."

"Is it safe?"

You slowly shake your head. "I don't know. But what's left for you to lose? Worth a try, don't you agree?… Suzy?"

"I…" She stops to think for a few long seconds. "Yes... Yes. Lead the way."

You quickly reach for her before she changes her mind. The moment your hand touches her the slight itch of the memory pain you've begun to feel once you saw her amplifies beyond measure. Your soul stiffens in your chest overburdened by a sudden wave of existential dread that comes flooding seemingly out of nowhere. Despite all that, you tighten your grip on the dead-cold shoulder and enter the pocket void.

The grey silhouette is even more ethereal in this weird, mysterious place. You look around for good measure, but everything seems as per usual - calm and nearly empty. Just like the expression on Suzy's face. You try to say something encouraging to her, but it doesn't seem like you're making any sounds and she doesn't react at your attempts either.

As soon as you step back into the material world Frisk hurries towards you looking directly into your eye sockets. You smile tiredly and yet victoriously. Their face beams in response.

You've done it. Your team was on the right track all along and the first step towards the finish line is finally taken.

'nice,' you hear Sans muttering, 'so the numbers ARE the numbers of the resets.'

'Whaaa? But HOW?' Your soul stiffens in your chest. 'We didn't actually miss anyone, did we…?'

'no. i don't think so. and i mean, why would he purposely try to confuse us if he needs our help? dunno why he said it the way he did, but anyway. it wasn't the first number, it was the two first numbers. it's the eighteenth reset. i counted.'

'Oh my god…'

'she is the laborant then… suzy…' Sans mumbles mostly to himself. 'heh. interesting. i don't remember a thing 'bout her.'

* * *

And the pages keep turning.

* * *

As soon as you are able to force yourself to stand up, you take a shortcut straight to the cafe at the capital where the smell of hot beverages at least partially brings you back to life.

It's the thirty seventh reset since you've began your monster hunter scavenger quest and there's no way and no thing that will make you go through another loop of the same antics. Not this time anyway. Besides, you're sure Frisk and Papyrus will do just fine without you for at least an hour.

An hour passes way too quick. Though It might've been because you napped through the most of it. Your coffee is already cold, but you've decided to finish it anyway before continuing with your search.

That decision, however, didn't come to fruition, because you spit out your drink.

Right there. Standing by the window. They stare inside. Stare at you.

The other monsters pay zero attention to them even though they stick out like a black and white photo in a collection of colorful polaroids. The same aura of dullness, desperation and vague, long-forgotten memories as Suzy had when you met her is creeping into the cafe through the window, stirring up the head ache inside of your skull.

Short, but bulky, with giant eyes the proportions rivalling an anime character's, they stare. Such a prominent gaze glued to you leaves you no other way around, but to gingerly exit the building and walk up to them.

They wave their stubby arm in front of your face as you eye their movements.

"You... You can't be... actually seeing me, are you?" The tone of their creaky voice implies both shock and, for some reason, irritation.

"Uh... I do see you."

"You can't! No one can! You never could! Why can you, suddenly? What even are you? Why is your soul red? What is happening?

"Calm down, buddy." You have take a step back, unprepared for such verbal assault. "It's alright. I'm here to save you."

"Are you out of your mind? It's the loop! You can't do anything about it! Everything is the same. The world repeats again and again. Everyone is stuck with no escape. I tried everything, but there is no exit. For us who were erased and for all monsters in general... Loop after loop after loop. It never ends... and it never changes…"

Their shoulders drop lower with every sentence, with each word.

"Hey…" You firmly grab their hunched shoulders despite the burning headache that this move causes to you. "Cheer up. It was like that for a while, but now it's time to make a difference."

"R-really…?" The huge eyes glance up, with a faint spark of hope.

"Yeah. Gaster sent me here."

"Gaster? They said he was a genius… But he caused all this. I'm pretty sure it's all his fault. And Alphys can't fix it. She can't even see us."

"I might not to be a scientist, nor even a genuinely smart person, but hey! I have determination! And I will do anything in my power to get you out of the loop!"

"You… aren't a scientist?"

"Well, yeah… But I have friends who are scientists! If we think about all this together I'm sure we'll manage to fix what had happened."

"Okay. Alright. Deal. Tell me what to do."

As you enter the void to lead the second found follower, you are relieved to see Suzy still hanging there. She might be a goner kid, but she's not gone quiet yet!

* * *

And the pages keep turning.

* * *

Sixty first reset.

Considering how you stumbled upon the other two in rather unusual spots you were surprised to find the third one at their rightful place from the game. Not only that, but as soon as you left the elevator they began spouting the same speech they give in the game.

Confused, you let them finish without interrupting.

"But it's rude to talk about those who listen." They cackle mysteriously.

You can't help jibe them in return. "He's not just listening, he actually sent me here."

"Eheheh... _cough-cough..._ W-what? Are you joking with me? It can't be. He was erased…"

"Nope. He sent me here to gather all of you guys. You weren't erased, you were just scattered around time and space."

"B-but... That's impossible... I've tried everything and I could never find the others…" they say, but you see a spark of hope in their eyes.

"It's very much possible! Your colleagues are hanging in the pocket void and soon we will try to bring you guys back to normal!"

"The pocket void! Of course! That... That can actually work! Thank you, stranger. Please, take me there too."

Just as easy as that, another lost soul joins the others in the secret place safe from the resets.

"Six… six… six…" you repeat to yourself, sitting on the hot rocks of Hotland, where the slimy follower stood just a moment ago. "It has to be it. Sixty something, right?"

Sans nods.

"Well here we go then!"

* * *

And the pages keep turning.

* * *

Sixty second reset.

You make it sure that you look everywhere, but you've found nothing.

Sixty third reset.

Nothing.

Sixty fourth reset.

Still nothing.

Sixty fifth reset.

Thoughts begin to fill your mind. 'Could it be that we've missed them?'

Sixty sixth reset.

'It is possible, but no… No, I must think positively.'

Sixty seventh reset.

'Oh god oh god oh god we missed them. We definitely missed them at some point. We only have two more chances… Come on…'

Sixty eighth reset.

You literally lie in wait on the ground before Frisk arrives. Exhausted beyond measure, you spread your arms as if you are trying to make a snow angel. Except, you feel too tired even for that.

Time sure flies by quickly when you're taking a nap. The crunchy sound of the footsteps grows near, waking you up. Then you feel a stick poking your hand.

"Leaaave me beee, mooortal" you howl in a ghostly manner without even opening your eyes. "Do not daaare to raise the deaaad."

You hear a giggle in response, before they comply with your plea and waddle away.

'So… This is the next to last chace and it's all over, huh? Well… Here we g- g… g...'

The moment you raise your face out of the snow pile you see them. It's unmistakable, unless you're tired enough for hallucinations.

The first thing is that they are grey, with that dull aura of desperation all of the followers have. Secondly, they don't have a face. Not that rare among monsters, but definitely creepy. The third thing is that they have something in their hand that looks disturbingly like a miniature Gaster's face. And last, but not least - there is never anyone else here, beside you, Frisk and Papyrus.

'Well, slap me silly and call me Milly! I sure am glad that I don't have to walk far.'

"Haa… haa… A… human." The monster leans forward, whispering with barely contained excitement. "After all these years I can finally see it, can smell it, maybe I can touch it…?" The long clawed fingers on the free hand of the faceless creep clasp at the air like greedy spiders. "Ohhh an alive human being… So thrilling... Come closer now, child."

"Woa-woa, dude. Stop that. That's legit creepy." You butt in-between the two with surprising agility.

"Oh… M-my apologies. I didn't know you could hear me. How… How can you hear me?"

"The kid and I both can hear and see you fairly clearly, yes. So tone it done, alright?"

"Am I… material? That's… peculiar. But good. Definitely good."

In the corner of your view, something bright pops up. It is about time for Papyrus to make his appearance, after all.

"Kid, please distract our friend while I talk here, okay?"

They nod, understanding what they need to do, and hurry up the path to meet the skeleton that is already shouting something from afar.

"Something has changed in you, hasn't? What is that you have? A… human soul? Am I… Speaking with a… human right now?"

"Ughh… Yes…?" It's still highly disturbing and unexplainable how the followers can just - literally - see right through you.

"What a day! By god what a day! If only for a moment I can see humans and can even speak to them."

"Heh, well, hear what I have to say to you, buddy." An uncomfortable grin now lives on your face. It that strives to be friendly when it grows up. "I'm here to save you and all of your friends from this dreadful situation you're in."

"I say. That doesn't seem like an easy task," they remark. "Why did you decide to help us, human?"

"It's Berry. And also a long story. But you know doctor Gaster, right?"

"Ah, naturally. You see this thing that I'm holding? It was once part of Gaster… Do not know which. It is stuck to me. I still can't get used to this."

Unwillingly, you peek down at their hands and shiver with disgust. That is some fine horror show.

"I was... once a doctor myself…" they continue to speak not paying much attention to your stare. "As an actual doctor, not just in a scientific way."

"Hey, we can definitely use a doctor in our team! Well, will you help us to put back Gaster together?"

"That is indeed not an easy task you propose to me, but... I will try my best." They nod, and the darkness inside their hood moves and sways with the motion. "What shall we do now?"

* * *

You briefly celebrate the fact that all of the followers have snuck safely into the pocket void. Quite a few tasty dishes and drinks for you and Frisk are put on Sans' tab as you both feast at Grillby's in celebration. Yet, you can't relax fully, for your mission is far from being over. There is the last missing piece. The "memory" - whatever that means - that you must find. How can you do that and what should you do after - you do not know. All that you know is that a whole bunch of uncertainty still lies up ahead.


	31. Time, Love and Care

Again and again and again. The time resets, you endure the pain, meet Frisk and work your way through the Underground up to the very barrier itself trying to find the last remaining piece of the puzzle. The solution is so close and yet just out of reach. What can it possibly be? You seem to have tried everything, all the theories that you had, but no matter how many times you reset and how hard you try, you can't quite grasp what it is that you're missing.

Ever since the last time he showed up to give you the clues, Gaster has remained absent. So, you gave up counting on him. His followers aren't much of a help either. They float safely around the pocket void in a state of something like a stasis. Unresponding, unmoving, lifeless even. Seeing them like this isn't a sight for the faint of heart. You hope that they will return back to normality at some point, but do not dare to pull them out just to ask some questions. It didn't seem like they knew much anyway, judging by what they were saying back when you met them.

Confused, exhausted, and frustrated, all you can do is just keep moving forward.

You're not alone in this endeavor though and that helps a lot. You don't know if you'd be able to handle this on your own. Frisk and Sans are these two little guardian angels that are keeping your sanity intact. Since the day you teamed up with them, Frisk sticks around, finding new ways to entertain themselves and you along the way, while Sans... Well. He's certainly a character. It's him who suggests to - what a shocker- relax, letting the time flow naturally, at least for a little while.

's'not like we're on a strict schedule or anything. and taking a break is direly important to stay healthy,' he insists as you lie in the snow, catching up a moment before Papyrus shows up as per usual.

'Yeah, sure.' You huff at this "proper lifestyle enthusiast". 'We've wasted enough time as it is and we are so close! The last stretch! We can't possibly stop now!'

'but pal. just lookit yourself. you aren't like a skeleton supposta look, you look like a ghoul crawling out of a snow grave. and the kid-'

'The kid is fine!' you interrupt, ignoring the first part. 'They're okay and willing to move forward with us. I always ask them. You know that I care about them.'

'and ya eat up their every word, huh.'

'What? Are you suggesting that they're lying?'

'ugh. okay. fuhgeddaboudit. i have something else to say…' Sans' sudden heavy tone leaves you worrying. 'i didn't want to bring this up, i still REALLY don't, but you give me no choice. thing is, each time you stab our souls and then lie here after a reset - face in the snow, body shaking, head exploding... you realize that i can feel every ounce of your pain, right?'

'Uh…'

'but that's not even the, uh, _point_ of this iceberg. the most painful part is to see just exactly how much my friend is suffering while still moving forward like everythin' is a can of peaches. they're such a hypocrite, dontcha agree?'

'Sans…' you mewl like a cat that got caught by the scruff right after peeing on a carpet.

'constantly tellin' me to be honest, tellin' me to relax... but they never seem to do so themselves. lyin' to the kid that they are fine, while literally _dyin'_ on the job. not cool, if ya ask me.'

You fail to find what to say.

'berry…' He smiles a pained smile sensing your guilt rising. 'i'm not saying all this to make you feel bad. no. i'm glad you're so enthusiastic. i have no other solutions to offer and 'course i don't mind goin' further. actually, i've never been so, heh, determined to go on, but… more than anything i hate to see people i care about suffering and to be unable to do anything to stop that.'

'But you don't have to wo-'

'i know.' He cuts you off, firmly. 'but i choose to. and that's why i'm asking you to at least have some rest.'

'I…' You simply have nothing to say against these arguments. 'Well. I suppose we can take a couple of days off…'

'now that's the spirit of laziness that i like to see!'

You chuckle as a sudden wave of relief washes over you, sweeping across your mind. If you weren't lying already you probably would've fallen down right now.

Though you still had to stand up and do your part in humoring Papyrus it didn't take too long. When you are finally left alone with the kid you try your best to explain to them that there is a sudden change in plans. However, much like you've anticipated, they don't want to stop at all. Of course, there is no arguing from their side. Verbal arguing that is. They just pout at you, tilting their head forward like a frowny hornless calf.

'take a look at this stubborn little face.' Sans' image smirks cheekily at you. 'reminds me of a certain someone who's also not too keen on stopping.'

'Then tell me how to change their mind. You seem to be an expert in that field,' you grumble silently.

'well, howsabout we show them the special place? you know the one.'

After taking a moment to think you do, in fact, recall that one peculiar place that you didn't visit with Frisk. That might work.

"So I reckon you don't want to lie around with nothing to do? I get that, and I'm sure we can think of something. Let's take a walk around Snowdin, shall we?" You tone down your voice to a mysterious whisper. "There are secrets you've yet to uncover."

Curiosity once again gets the best of your spry protege. Not thinking for long, they grab your wrist and pull on it for you to follow.

"What's that? You want to go… where?" They pull harder and you begin to worry that if you won't move your hand may get detached from your body. "Sure, sure, lead the way."

After you've made a fair bit of tracing back the beaten path, you take a sharp turn at the sign surrounded by slippery ice and arrive at your destination - the clearing with a single snowman in the center of it. It looks like a small theatrical scene with an actor, yet with no audience.

"Oh, hello… again, " says the calm, soft and a slightly cold voice. "You didn't seem to travel far yet. What brings you two back here?"

The snowman isn't moving in any sense of the word. Not even his mouth moves as he speaks, as if someone's just pranking you by standing and talking behind the snowy figure. But no, he's been here the whole time. It's doubtful someone would keep up a mere joke for so long.

You reply with the first thing that comes to mind, "Well, we figured it's pretty boring to just stand here all alone. "

"Ha-ha… There is no need to worry. I don't exactly know how life can be any better so I am content. Besides, our silent friend now carries a piece of me, which they promised to take far, far away… I'm excited for that."

"Abooout that…" You and Frisk glance at each other. "We're staying in Snowdin for a little while longer."

"Oh… Of course. You do what you gotta do. I'm an expert at waiting."

His smile, though it never changes, now somehow seems sad. Apparently, the kid can't stand it as they pull on your jacket, which you learn is their way of asking to think of something.

You don't exactly know what to do about this, but if it's so important to Frisk then it's time to improvise.

"That's it, veggie face! We are going to cheer you up whether you like it or not!"

The confused snowman couldn't even respond before you recalled one really silly joke.

"What do snowmen call their fancy annual dance?"

"Excuse me?"

"The _snowball_!"

As they choke on that pun your lil friend starts to bounce excitedly, pointing at the heaps of snow surrounding the clearing.

"Right, kid!" You immediately catch their idea. "Let's make the snow ball happen! "

Both of you roll up your sleeves and proceed to roll up snow spheres that you then compose into various figures. Classical and weird, tiny and big, fancy and plain: they all smile with their decorative faces, their snow bodies and twig hands frozen in an eternal dance. Soon enough, other monsters come to check on all the talking and laughing and some end up joining in on the fun: telling jokes, building even more snowmen and actually dancing with each other.

Looking around, you can't help smiling at this idyllic picture.

When the all the action and noise settles down, you walk up to the one who this party is intended for, to find their face being weirdly distorted.

'Oh no, is he melting? Wait, no. Those are tears sliding across his face.'

"That… that is… That was…" the snowman mumbles trying to find the words. "Thank you. This has to be the most fun day in my life."

Instead of a response you simply nod and smile.

You bid your farewells to the happy snowman and his new, less talkative pals and finally aim your steps towards the special place.

As the road leads you past a certain side-mouthed deer, he gives you a thousand-yard stare that can burn through metal. Luckily, you aren't made of metal!

You decide to be a polite neighbor and ask, "Sup, Gyft?"

"Don't even get me started!" You notice suddenly that his head is tilting to the side forming a definitely uncomfortable angle for such a creature. After a moment of peering at it, you realize someone put an actual freaking dumbbell on it!

"Need help?"

"From the likes of you?"

You think you have an idea why he doesn't exactly want to trust you and made this thought louder, 'You've decorated the poor creepypasta Bambi before, haven't you?'

'of course not. I wouldn't deer to mess up his haircut.'

Exhaling a sigh of annoyance you come closer to the tense monster.

"Jokes and pranks should all be in good fun. You obviously aren't having fun, so I will help you if you'll let me. No fooling."

After a dozen suspicious huffs and angry snorts, Gyftrot slowly bends down so you can reach his antlers.

You let out a whistle. Someone has been real cruel to the furry fella lately, for his poor head is carrying heaps of straight up garbage.

One by one you take the weirdest things off his horns. Untangle a garland of old garlic, pluck off a sticky book of stickers, untie an everyman plush roped to a tiny fir tree, then you finally manage to lift that super-heavy dumbbell and drop it into the snow.

Squinted eyes full of suspicion watch your every movement, but with each item removed the monster slowly relaxes. Then Frisk joins in too and together you quickly free the deer of his burden.

"Thanks…" he blurts, begrudgingly. "That feels a lot better."

"Don't mention it."

"I most definitely won't," he grumbles, shuffling down the snowy road, likely heading back into the forest.

The dark cave welcomes the travelers with it's warm and wet breath. The icicles hanging from atop its entrance makes it seem even more like a mouth of a beast. You lead Frisk inside, through the series of turns, lighting the mushrooms along the way so they could see the path better. At the end of the tunnel becomes bigger and wider until it finally turns into a grotto.

You pat one of the bigger and sturdier, yet still fairly soft mushrooms, checking if it can hold some weight and also gaining Frisk's attention.

"Now. Sit down and listen."

When the echo of your words and footsteps fades away you can hear it. The tiny buzzing of the crystal wings darting around the cave, bouncing from icicles on the ceiling and the ice crystals all over the walls, filling the air with crystalline chimes.

The cave is full of tiny sounds and beautiful lights that belongs to the bugs that live in here. And these are no ordinary fireflies.

"Iceflies," you repeat after Sans.

You stare, captivated, as one of them closes in to Frisk. They stretch their hand forward and the bug lands on it. Its shining belly lights up the hand with ghostly blue light, translucent wings shining like diamonds.

After a moment of awe the kid jerks their hand away, blowing on their fingers.

"Did it bite you? No?" You grab their wounded appendage and look at it closely. It doesn't seem very hurt, but you do notice that looks unusually red, or well, on their skin redness looks orange. "Huh. Do they burn?"

You weren't hoping for a response, but got one anyway, 'no. looks like they freeze.'

'Hey, why didn't you warn us then!?'

'i didn't know. no skin, buddy. no skin.'

Unfortunately, you haven't had a chance to learn any healing magic, so all you can do is just bandage their palm with a wet napkin.

"So… You alright, kiddo? Was it worth it that we came here?"

They nod.

"Enjoyed our trip?"

They nod again.

"Awesome. Hm… Wait here for a moment, okay? And don't touch any more bugs." You wink at them and wonder off, deeper into the darkness.

There is something that you've recalled that you haven't thought about before. Something, that might give you a chance of finding a certain someone.

'Is that the end of the cave?' you ask, staring at the wall that is farthest from the cave's entrance.

'yeah.'

'Hm... Have you seen any weird doors around here by chance?'

'in the cave? no..? why?'

'Huh. Nothing, I guess.'

Knocking, kicking and tapping, as well as putting your head against the wall like you saw in the spy flicks doesn't seem to work. Or maybe you're just doing it wrong.

Does it mean that "the game" is yet to be over? The longer you keep going in loops, the stronger your suspicion is that someone is playing games with you. Some things just don't add up and there are way too many rules for this not to be a game. Is there any chance of finding that mysterious canine again before beating his game? And would he even care to help if you did find him? It's not like he seemed concerned about your situation back when you explained it to him… But maybe it's best to leave these questions for another day.

The night, on the other hand, rolls out in no time and you move your little party to the brothers' house.

With Frisk's help, you perform a quick house cleaning and fix the mattress for yourself and the couch downstairs for the kid. Despite how exhausted you both feel, yawning and stretching non-stop, you still stay up fairly late sharing ghost stories in the living room. Well, you are telling stories and voicing out the jokes that Sans tells you, while Frisk performs scary charades in the dim light of the muted TV, which is very entertaining to watch and to solve.

Too tired to go or to even teleport upstairs, you steal one of the pillows from the couch and slump down on the floor. After a few minutes of huffs and cracks of the old springs you hear the kid crawling down to you with another pillow and feel a blanket landing onto you. That makes your soul melt, as it frequently does when it comes to this cute bean.

Falling asleep you think to yourself that these next few days are promising to be quite fun.


	32. Determination

You've barely talked with Alphys since your first failed encounter, afraid of spooking her again. Her psyche seems to be very fragile and if anything ever doesn't go as she had planned, she shuts herself away in her creepy basement. Frisk, however, has a perfect way of dealing with her. They listen. They are a perfect listener, that kid. They listen and then they act in a way that, for the most part, sorts the situation for the best. Something that your overly talkative and screwy self is low-key envious of.

Once more they take the lizard scientist and fishy warrior to the dump for their quirky date, tell them that anime is real for Undyne's utmost excitement and, this time around, they even manage to convince Alphys to bring the amalgamates back to their families. You've been there yourself and yet still aren't sure how they managed all that on such a short notice.

As Frisk leads the amalgamated march, Alphys is trailing far behind, sweating profusely and mumbling something to herself. You take it upon yourself to keep prowling just out of sight, sure to keep an eye socket out for her so she won't suddenly flee anywhere.

Her behavior is worrying and even proves to be contagious as the freed monsters are distressed upon leaving the usual darkness of the place they've been kept in for so long. Especially Endogeny. They seem wary, silent and fidgety, so Frisk won't leave their side, letting the mass of dogs adjust at their own pace, borrowing some dog treats from your dimensional stash to comfort and butter them up. In return, Endogeny leans closer to the kind child, showing their trust.

It surely warms up your heart-shaped soul to see such a beautiful friendship in blossom.

By the time your gradually scattering party makes it to Snowdin, the amalgamated dogs are full of life, curiosity, and happiness as they have probably never been before. Flying all over the place, climbing up the walls and barking at the trees and the monsters, who somehow aren't even weirded out by such a peculiar canine. The familiar gurgling barks are being heard behind the corner before you see the excited amalgamate attempting to lick two Snowdrakes at the same time.

From your position, you see that Missis Snowdrake halts her movements. Her humanoid-looking traveling form wobbles and reforms back into something that looks more like her when she was back at the Lab.

"Sn… ow… y... Reg… g… ie…" Even whispering is a struggle for her, but she's heard perfectly fine.

Both bird-like monsters dash towards her, snow shooting up behind their feet, each shouting without containing their emotions.

"Mooom! You're baaack! I knew I would find you! How are you?"

"Honey, honey! Oh goodness, dear... I-it is you. It's really you! I've rushed here right aftah I got the phone call. Are you feeling alright?"

Parts of her eyes slide and drip down representing the tears. Tears of joy. Her goopy wings wrap around the shoulders of her loved ones.

"Goo… d… Fee…. lin… g… g… ood…"

"I hope you will feel even bettah soon. You look like an ice cream. With vegetables. Ha ha ha ha…" The father Drake laughs, but then shakes his head. "That's not funny."

"Ha… ha… It is… a bi.. t… fun… ny..."

"Yeah. A bit…" Snowy confirms, stifling either a chuckle or a sob.

"would you look at that. the love birds are all back together," Sans hums, observing the family reunion warmly, but also with a tinge of something you assume is envy.

"The nest is full, indeed."

It hurts and at the same time brings so much relief that as soon as they see her they recognize her and shower her with so much love. You aren't sure you'd be that accepting of someone who had come back from the dead in the form of "vegetable ice cream".

With farewells to the Snowdrake's family and Endogeny's arrival to the Snowdin town, everyone is finally brought back home and, as much as she visibly doesn't want any of this, Alphys has to explain herself one last time. All the local dogs surround her, bombarding her with bunches of questions as the poor scientist struggles to say something coherent in response, about to faint from all the social pressure.

You feel bad leaving her like this, but while she's away and distracted it is the perfect time to search around the laboratory once again. It didn't yield any results before, but if there's anything that might help you with finding that memory Gaster had mentioned, it has to be in this old lab where he used to live with his brothers.

The vain hope remains that you will discover a tape you've yet to see or some clue you somehow missed. So you check the shelves, rummage through the bed sheets and even peek underneath the creepy bathtub. You turn every pot and chair upside down, open wide all the fridges and inspect each suspicious dirt pile. You do pretty much everything you have done before and - no big surprise - it leads to no new results.

As you sit down on the floor before the black TV screen, mindlessly rewinding the tape back and forth as if new footage will randomly appear on the record you hear footsteps and feel a presence behind you.

"Found anything, kid?" you throw nonchalantly behind your back.

Even without looking you can sense that they came back empty-handed and are just as disappointed as you are.

You throw the remote away and finally turn to them to ruffle their fluffy hair. "We'll find something eventually."

They huff, disapprovingly, at your gesture, yet don't back away.

"How about we go get some water and head out of this place? All that dust and pollen makes my eye sockets watery and mouth dry."

A laugh escapes their mouth as they attempt to hide it, as well as their blushing cheeks behind their palms.

"Did I say something funny?" you ask, genuinely wondering what made them so giggly all of the sudden.

Not getting any response, aside from muffled chuckling you shrug and walk down the corridor to the array of sinks. You turn on the faucet and cup your hands under it when you notice that the water is flowing really, really slowly. It's also white. Not to mention otherworldly, low-rumbling noises generate within the pipes.

Dashing backward, you make sure the kid is safe as you both watch the gooey white liquid slowly overflowing from the sink. Not giving a damn about gravity the goop floats up, coiling and shaping - or more like misshaping - into a swirly blob, that looks not unlike a highly disturbing rendition of a Rorschach test. Then this blob slowly begins to multiply into three.

You only need one glance at the final form of this atrocity to howl like a wounded jackal, thinking, 'MEMORYHEADS! That's gotta be it! Dammit all to hell! How could I be so unbelievably stupid! They even have MEMORY in their names! AURGH!'

'woah there,' Sans butts into your mental rampage. 'relax, buddy. it's alright. no one's blamin' ya here.'

'I blame myself here! But, yeah, no time for that.'

You've been down here more times than you can remember and these guys never appeared to you before. What exactly changed? Did neither you nor Frisk ever use the faucets in the true lab before? Well, damn… That just might be the case.

Suddenly, you hear the phone ringing behind your back. Throwing a quick glance you see Frisk fishing up the phone that Alphys upgraded a few hours ago and picking up the call.

A cacophony of distorted noises escapes the speakers. A jumbled mess of whispers you can't understand at all. Trying to understand makes your head dizzy, heavy and inexplicably dull all at the same time. Only as you give up trying to understand the sounds finally begin to make some sort of sense.

"Come join the fun... join the fun... fun," the voices chime, "Become one with us."

You grab the device from Frisk's hands and shout into the receiver, trying to be heard over the persistent ruckus, "How about no? Why don't YOU come join our fun instead, huh? That'll be a real get together! There's someone who's been waiting for you for a real long while. Tell me if this name rings a bell," you pause and say with applied pressure, " **_Gaster._ ** "

The deafening sound of the dial-up internet connection forces you to flinch and drop the phone on the dirty tiled floor. When you look up the memoryheads are all gone.

You're too frustrated for words. You'd probably find some eventually, but you can't allow spilling them out while Frisk is nearby. Trying to calm down and cease your burning anger and headache you stand still, looking down. It's when you notice the phone you dropped blinking as if it received a message. You pick it up and check the screen.

There are three identical messages reading: _"The bad memory is stored in the dimensional box."_

"D-did we do it? This… That's it?" Your mind and your mouth feel weird as you say those words. After so many attempts you did it and still. It's hard to fully believe in that.

Partly because… nothing happened.

No explosion, no Gaster visiting to tell you that your job is finally done, no anything. It leaves you feeling highly anticlimactic.

"Now… What…?"

The question echoes down the dark corridors of the true lab. They are empty, just as your head is empty of ideas.

Or maybe not as empty.

"S-sans? Human? Why are you here again? D-do you need anything? I… I'll be leaving soon."

As soon as you see Alphys - her fidgety claws, trying to get ahold of the keychains, surely startled by the fact that someone is still wandering this empty basement - your mind clicks into place.

You need help. If you ever learned anything it's that you can't achieve everything on your own. Maybe if your team was less stubborn and asked for help before you wouldn't be stuck for so long for such a stupid reason. And right now, when you finally have all the pieces of the puzzle, you still have to put them together. No doubt for that you'll need the help of the only scientist that you know of, aside from the one trapped inside of his own skull. And as much as he doesn't want anyone's involvement in your situation, you have to reach out.

'May I?'

'i don't see why not.'

Lies. He is against this idea and he had told you exactly why, but he also doesn't want to stand in your way. You appreciate his effort. Or, well... lack thereof.

"Yes. In fact, we do need something. We need to talk."

"Uh… oh…" She backs off, you aren't sure why, but maybe it's the tone of your voice that has suddenly gotten way too serious.

"It's really, direly important Alphys…" you say, toning down to sound pleading. "Please."

"Um… Alright…? I don't have to hurry anywhere anyway ha-hah… hah… Well. Let's get out of here first…?"

"Sure."

"Oh, right, I forgot! I-I'll be back in a sec!"

Despite your worry that she had decided to abandon you, she is back quite fast. Tapping her little lizard feet, slipping up on every other step, but still maintaining an impressive speed, she follows as you proceed to the exit.

The silence disturbed only by the buzzing of the machines and occasional coughs is exceptionally awkward as she leads you to the second floor of her upper laboratory and presses a few buttons on the blue cube. The cube vibrates and then springs into the pink bed with frilly sheets.

"G-get comfy!"

Taking her offer you plop onto the bed, scooting to give some space beside you for the kid and gather up your thoughts. Alphys herself rolls out a small stool from underneath her working bench and sits down on it, staring down at her lap, waiting for you to start talking.

Your sudden plan is quite simple. You need help and Alphys is the only one who is actually fit for that role. You've failed before, but you'll make sure to play it smarter now. Worst case scenario? You and Frisk reset and try something else, but if you're able to talk her into joining your team on the first try that definitely would be nice.

"So…" you begin, hesitantly, "You know the kid."

Frisk crosses their legs and waves playfully.

"Hard to pass by for sure." You chuckle at their antics. "They don't talk much as you may have noticed, but their name is Frisk. As for me…" You hesitate. "You may think you know me, but... I'm not Sans."

Now she's looking at you, a dash of surprise and question written on her face.

"I'm… I'm human too. A human who ended up in Sans' body. You can call me Berry… I guess." No need to bring up that you don't know your real name. "But Sans is still here and all three of us need your help to put together a previous royal scientist… I know it sound ins-"

"Oh my GOSH!" her excited screech interrupts you mid-sentence. "That is SO ANIME!"

"Pffft- Ahahaha!"

"Oh... I a-a-am so-"

"I know right!?" You smile wide, mirroring back her nerdiness. "It really is! I feel myself like a character in some complex mix of sci-fi and fantasy anime! With action and drama and mysteries and tr... tragedies... Kh-khm… Anyway," you trail off to get back on topic, "We could really use your help. Your knowledge, especially anything you might know about the souls and determination can be crucial to us…"

"I… d-don't think I can help with that…" Her excitement dwindles as fast as it had picked up, voice lowering down to a whisper. "The determination is… It's really scary… I don't want to touch it ever again…"

"We understand you, we really do, but…" You push forward. "I hate to tell you that, but you really have to hold responsibilities for some stuff that you had done. You don't have a proper scientific education, do you? That scheme with Mettaton…"

Alphys' eyes are filling with terror with each word that you speak. Her body is now a wound up spring, ready to jump off the chair and escape this tense situation.

"Please, don't freak out! Yes, I do know a lot, but I mean no harm. Just listen to me, please. The flower…" She freezes in an awkward pose. "It's still alive. It's not really HIM though, it has a mind of his own and no soul. More so, he could control time via artificial determination up until recent events. And it… I believe it got pretty nasty."

Her trembling arms slowly wrap around her head, grasping onto the pointy spikes surrounding it. "I! I didn't know! I… Oh god I'm so sorry…"

Deciding something for themselves, Frisk jumps down and walks up to the distressed monster. She stiffens, attempting to become as small as possible, but they simply take her hand and hold it in theirs.

You smile, warmly. "See? We don't blame you at all. Personally, I believe you only wanted the best, but if you start something, you have to at least try to finish it, don't you think so? We want to fix everything and I don't know if we can do that without you. Please… This might be our only chance to make things right!"

The kid nods, affirming this notion.

Alphys takes off her glasses and wipes her face with a free shaking hand. Her gaze is glued down and stays like that for a while.

The silence grows unbearable until she finally responds, "I n-need some t-time… to think… "

"Of course." You agree in a flash. "Just… Be safe, okay? "

She hesitates before saying, "I will. And, um… Is there anything you need from me that… um… doesn't involve dangerous stuff? Like, I can fix you a toaster!" Her sudden hospitable smile is unnecessarily wide. "I can do that! And that probably won't end up in a disaster… probably."

"Well. Now that you mention… There is one thing." An anxious feeling rises in your soul. No way you can pass up this opportunity. "Me and Sans, the actual Sans, we are a fusion… I guess? But we have no idea how to fix this. I mean, we became friends and all that… But maybe there's a way to get us unstuck from each other?"

"That doesn't seem like a "toaster level" problem… But, oh boy! That sure s-sounds interesting! I'll think about that as well and call you later. Is that o-okay?"

"That's fantastic, Alphys. Thank you very much."

"There's nothing to thank me for… heh… Well." She glances at the child with a weak smile and only then they let go of her hand. "Um… Bye!"

You and Frisk spend some time wandering the scorched roads of Hotland. It's already time for dinner, so you eat some hot dogs and settle in for a nap. There is no need to hurry anywhere. Only to wait for Alphys to make up her mind. You suspect you'll have to wait for at least a couple of days or maybe even weeks, if she calls back at all.

That's why the evening call catches you off guard. Her stumbling voice, mixed in with heavy breathing into the receiver invites you two back to the lab. She doesn't need to ask you twice.

Before you can even knock on the heavy metal doors, they open up automatically, revealing first a twitching yellow snout and then a hunched figure draped in white.

"Sorry I took your time… I-I've decided… That you're right. I know I'm worthless so the least I can do is to help someone more determined to fix my mistakes. Um, so... I'm going to help! Well... I'll do all I can. Which is not much… but it's a start. Oh, uh, yeah." Alphys realizes that she's muttering all this while you stand in the doorframe. "Come on in!"

It takes some effort, but you manage to convince Frisk to stay on the first floor, playing games on the computer. They might think otherwise, but it will most likely be boring for them down there with you. Or maybe even worse than just boring.

An elevator ride and a few turns down the murky hallways lead you to some sort of a device or even a bunch of devices connected together into a pile of metal boxes and wires. Of all things placed on the shelves and the floor alike you probably recognize an oscillograph, which may actually only look like one, but that's about it.

"That's the soul reader," Alphys says, pointing at about everything in the room with one sweeping motion. "I had it for a while to read the condition of the fallen… I've recalibrated it for you. Well. Let's hope it'll work."

"Neat. So I have to let the souls out or...? "

"Yeah." She adjusts her glasses, "Show them to me."

A gesture that now comes so naturally for you releases the souls from the depth of your ribcage. Their red glow reflects in Alphys' round glasses.

"Oh. My god. It's real!" The clawed fingers excitedly and somewhat greedily grasp the air a few inches away from the souls. "The fusion! It's just like in that anime-"

"Alphys. I like anime as much as the next guy, but…"

"O-okay… I understand. Let's get to it. "

Some button pressing, wire placing, and other manipulations then she stands in front of you, fiddling her thumbs.

"Um..?" you shoot her a glance, as the buzzing silence is only spiced up by the buzzing and whirring of the soul reader.

"I-it'll take a b-bit."

"I see… Hey. I was wondering something."

"Y-yes?"

"Could you… is this possible… To build robot bodies for human souls? Like you did with Mettaton?"

"I… uh… um… T-that's an interesting question! Well, I don't think so…? I mean Mettaton isn't just a soul." She stumbles midway her explanations. "But… um… I'm sure you already know that…"

"Yeah. I know that Metta is a ghost monster, but I also don't know what I don't know." You shrug, philosophically.

"He-he, that's true, I guess. You see, monsters like Mettaton, they can possess inanimate objects, but… The human souls can't do that. They barely even have any consciousness. If I were to build something like a robotic body and stuff a human soul inside, it wouldn't be able to do anything or even understand what's going on. At best it would shamble inside for a bit, pressing random buttons. Then it would either attempt to escape or go back to slumbering. Um… A-at least I think so. S-sorry…"

"Nah, it's… understandable. I was just curious. Thanks. "

"I h-have a question as well, if I may. What is this?" Her claw points at the white line imprinted into your red soul. "Was it always there? N-no pressure or anything."

"Oh… Well. That's a long story."

Without going into too much of a detail you tell her about the other child and how an encounter with them caused the scar to appear on your soul. Nearing the end of the story, you are interrupted by the machine's incessant beeping. Seems like the scan is done.

Alphys hurries to tend to the monitors and the papers with the printed results of the procedure. Minutes after minutes pass as she analyzes them in complete silence. You grow worried and impatient.

"So…?"

She flinches as if she forgot that someone else is in here. Her voice is low and shaky as she concludes, "There seems to be enough data, but... from what I've gathered… I…. I'm sorry… But it seems that your fusion is... Very stable."

"Uh… And that's a bad thing?"

"W-well… It sounds like a nice thing, but they appear to be stuck together. Holding on to each other, sewn together, without any visible seams, meaning that… That I can't separate your souls. From what you've said it's possible… But my tests show otherwise. So if you don't know how to do this… neither do I. "

You sit for a while, digesting her words. Then you slowly hide your face in your palms. That's not the answer you were waiting for.

"I… I…. I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have-"

"No… No. Calm down. It's definitely not your fault. This is... bad. Yeah. But thank you for the information." In your, apparently stuck, souls, the hope still lingers that she's wrong or that you'll eventually figure something out for yourself. "And... we have more urgent troubles than this… don't we?"

She blinks, trying to suppress her apologetic tears and nods.

Repeating mindlessly you voice out everything that Sans tells you through your mind link. It's tiring and confusing to be this live transmitter, but there's no other option of him and Alphys communicating than through you. Not reliable or fast enough anyway.

His voice is mostly monotonous and unemotional, partly because he obviously doesn't want you to misunderstand what he's saying, but partly because that he is still shocked by Alphys' words. You feel his soul struggling to settle down. Seems like he doesn't know what to make of it yet. Neither do you.

For the past hour, the scientists have been sharing their knowledge on the subject of determination, souls and fused souls in particular.

"We have three known instances so far. Asriel plus Chara, Flowey with a bunch of human souls and, well, Berry and I. The first two are hardly stable, with Asriel taking control in the kid's case, possibly because Chara depleted their determination trying not to cause an instant reset. The other human souls, when confronted by Frisk, rebelled against Flowey and broke free. As for our souls, just as you said, the link is mind-bogglingly stable. Interestingly so, the determination levels don't reach critical capacities in the usual circumstances, but Berry, on occasion, manages to cause a manual outburst which results in melting, but also allows us to enter the void from where time can be manipulated. I know it's just theorycrafting at this point, but I guess you can sense the pattern here… The human soul - especially the red one - is usually the strongest in these fusions. The control and enhancements depend heavily on the hosts. Mostly on their souls and their DT levels, though their species, mental state and physical condition might be of importance too. There are also a few more things… One is that the human soul in control, once inside of a monster's body, can't seem to absorb any other human souls after the first one…" After saying these words Sans seem to become very, uncharacteristically nervous.

'berry, you might not like what I'm about to say… you know me, a greedy type that doesn't like to share, but this… this can be important to our case.'

"Berry, you- Oh," you say out loud inertially, but then continue silently, 'Oh. No-no, it's okay. Of course, you have to share the problem first to fix it, so go on ahead.'

'a'right… so…'

"You see, Berry might be in control of my body and our mentalities might still be separated, but our souls… They influence one another. I can feel myself changing daily. Not by a lot though, it's mostly a natural fluctuation in the character, but Berry… They are… At one point… At one point they almost turned into… me."

"Wha…?" You blink, owlishly, and shake your head. "Uh… Sorry. Go on."

"I… I felt like I could take back control of my body if I pushed hard enough. Felt like they're vanishing to become just a part of me. It was insane. I managed to stop it, of course. Took my soul on a leash or something, but… y'know…"

"And you… You haven't said anything to me!?"

"I'm sorry… I thought it was a one-time thing. I hoped for that. But I was wrong. It's resurfaced lately… And it's getting progressively harder to keep up the status quo."

"Oh god…" Alphys whispered. "That's… That's seriously scary."

"Heh… Guess that's what humans were afraid of in the first place…"

Mumbling profanities under your breath doesn't really help your situation. You feel unwell and have to sit down.

Even though you have to agree that you've changed quite a bit during your stay in this world and there were plenty of threats, including to your mental health and your soul, but the complete meltdown with Sans…? When did that even begin? Why weren't you aware of this? One would think you'd get at least the slightest idea if your personality were getting consumed by another.

"That's why it's important to find a way to separate us." You continue to mechanically relay Sans' words. "I have no idea what would happen if the full fusion takes place. And I'd rather not find that out."

You don't even want to think anymore. All this unnerving nonsense is really hard to digest.

Alphys fumbles with the sleeves of her coat for quite some time. Her spastic movements occupy your vacant look. She is clearly scared and anxious, it takes a lot of effort for her not to run away and hide, yet she's here and she's thinking of something.

Noticing your attention she bites down on her lip and asks, "Can I take another look at your souls?"

"Uh... Sure."

"The scar…" she says, after a couple more minutes of thoughtful staring. "You said it was left by Chara's weapon… And somehow it lasted over a reset...? And that the knife blade glowed with red…"

"Yes…?"

"Okay, b-bear with me! The otherwise simple knife glowed with red, turning it into a weapon that leaves wounds that last over a reset. Making it a constant in all of the timelines. The DT essence is red, no matter what soul you extract it from, the essence is always red. Meaning that if an item is charged by it-"

"Alph, you nerd! You're a freaking genius!" You struggle to maintain Sans' enthusiasm behind your confusion. "If we charge the grey guys with determination the time would fail to affect them, is that what you're trying to say?"

"Well… Maybe… B-b-but… That means that they might just turn into a-a-amalgamates…"

"But it's not a fact, right? It might be worth a shot."

"I… I…"

"I mean…" You might not understand fully what these psychos are on about, but you can't stand aside anymore. You speak for yourself now. "Even IF that happens, just look at the families of the amalgamates you've brought back to life. You've seen yourself how ecstatic they were to see their loved ones again. Even like this. So worst case scenario is just you making a couple more families happy."

She sighs deeply and mumbles, "Why am I always ending up doing these things… I'm so going to regret this afterwards. Okay! A-alright! We're going to try. Together. Right…?"

"Of course. We are a team now. Team science yay." You can't help chuckling after saying that.

"Yay." She giggles as well.

This breakthrough pushes your fears to the background. There's no use in panicking right now when you still have things to do and a chance to get help from the smartest monsters that have ever lived.

"So… I guess I sh-should try asking Asgore for the souls." Alphys' phone is halfway out of her pocket when you stop her.

"No… No. That wouldn't be necessary. We have my soul."

"O-oh… "

"That's not painful, right…?" you ask, double-taking on your idea.

She just awkwardly jerks her shoulders.

"Right… "

The giant, mechanical skull looms above. The metals wires, though fairly thick in actuality, seem frail compared to the sheer size of the thing they are holding. A mental image of it falling on you does not encourage a sense of comfort. Nor does imagining it sucking out your life energy.

You don't change your mind. If Asgore never shows anyone the souls there is a high probability he won't give them even to Alphys or worse - demand the guard to watch them for him. Besides, it feels like it is your duty to provide the determination for the group. In every way possible. Even if it might get painful.

You gulp down. A motion so ingrained into your subconscious you can't stop doing it even after being in the skeleton's body for what feels like forever. Then you give Alphys a nod. You're as ready as you ever going to be.

"Please don't move… It will only take a m-moment."

She walks away towards the DT extraction control room and you breathe out. Standing here in front of this thing is anything but fun.

Moments later the skull springs in motion. Its jaws slowly open up horizontally, hollow eyes lifelessly staring straight into your soul. For heck's sake why was it designed to be so creepy!?

Nothing else is going on, but some low noise coming from the skull, yet almost immediately you feel your soul getting weaker as its color starts slowly fading. After some time the noise stops and the skull takes it previous stance as the souls flutter back inside your chest. Then you hear clanking sounds closing in, followed by Alphys entering the room, carrying a bunch of vials filled with red, slightly glowing liquid.

You'll be feeling woozy and unmotivated even days after the procedure, but at least you've got everything that your team requires

The day of the experiment draws near.

All this time you've been working yourself to exhaustion helping move the beds in the main room to free some space, hauling equipment from room to room and voicing out Sans' words. A strange atmosphere settles in between the two of you. You've been talking for him a ton, but you barely spoke, let alone joke with each other. And it only escalates with days going by.

At the marked day and time, you and Frisk arrive to stand beside the heavy doors to the Lab, not entering just yet. There's something else you must do first.

"Please, Frisk, listen to me. I know we've been mostly absent lately, working on our project and I know that you wish to help more than anyone else, but It might be dangerous. I will need your phone and I will need you to stay away from this building."

They cross their arms, clearly pouting at you now.

"Look. If anything happens and if that anything affects me, you are the only one who can save everybody. You understand that, right? Right. So let's make a deal. I, Sans and Alphys are going to take care of all the boring science stuff, hopefully, one last time, while you watch our backs from the outside. Sounds like a plan?"

After mulling it over, they give you a reluctant nod and hand you the phone.

"Thanks, kiddo. You're a great pal. Now, how about that big doggo? Endogeny, yes. I know you love them and I'm sure they are dying for some bellyrubs right about now. Go get on that, champ!"

You breathe out looking at Frisk's brisk pace back towards Snowdin. Your shoulders slump down unwillingly now that you don't have to maintain the peppy attitude in front of the kid. Just slightly, but it is enough to make you worry. Is this what Sans had talked about? That tiredness and lack of motivation - is it his or yours? Thinking about it makes you very uneasy, so you decide to stop doing that.

Finally turning around you shuffle inside the Lab. After the lonely elevator ride and a walk past a few dark, uninviting hallways you greet Alphys and the followers at the experiment's site.

"H-hi! You a-are just in time! I'm almost done!" the scaly scientist waves her oil-covered hand at you and burrows back into the world of cogs and wires.

The grey monsters, however, don't return your greeting. They are standing silently, piling up in the center of the sizable glass tank with barely any emotions on their faces. They've been like this ever since you dared to pull them all from the void one by one. It's exceptionally worrying, but at very least they are still alive.

The waiting and the silence, disturbed only by the sounds of Alphys' tinkering are chipping away your nerves.

'Okay, come again, how is injecting them all with determination at the same time going to help to bring Gaster back?'

'we've reached as far as theories can go.' Sans responds immediately to your question, sensing your rising frustration. 'so it's time for action. our research kinda shows that he's… everywhere. and i really don't know if that's going to work at all, but he said that we need to bring it all together. so that's exactly what we're gonna try to do.'

'For all I know it only brings in the risk of them melting together… Are you sure that what he had meant?' From what you've heard of him so far and the state that he's in at the moment it's surprising his words have any sort of meaning at all. He seems mildly insane at best and a mad evil genius at worst.

'probably not. thas why we have this new shiny stabilization machine.' He nods, gesturing at the tube that has a bunch of pipes coming from it, connecting it to the tank. 'it should help these guys to stay in one piece…'

'In theory?'

'in theory.'

That's the answer you've anticipated. With dread. For if they melt together, would you even be able to pull them back into the pocket void?

The lizard scientist emerges from the aforementioned machine, hastily wiping her paws with a stained towel. She stands in front of the flickering monitor and looks at you, questioningly. You give her a reassuring nod. She gulps down and proceeds pressing a couple of buttons. Water pours out of the pipes, filling in the tank. Bubbles come from the places that tube connected to them, making it look like a really big jacuzzi. That thought makes you smile.

"F-first injection…" The trembling yellow finger presses another button, releasing the small portion of determination gathered from your soul.

It looks like a drop of a red paint was added into the water, quickly dissolving with little to no effect.

"Not enough." You mechanically echo Sans' words.

Another injection yields the same result. The monsters are just standing there, covered in water up to their necks, with smaller ones standing on top of the metal boxes, not melting, but not showing any signs of any other changes either.

It's right after the third injection that the stabilizing device begins to rattle suspiciously.

Alphys starts to panic.

Running around the room, from one device to another and frantically checking her phone she's mumbling scientific gibberish to herself, in which you can only understand, "That should be... No, it is… But why?!"

Something is definitely not going as planned for Sans appears to be worryingly tensed as well.

With a loud _POP_ one of the hoses separate from the tank and flies away, spewing some sort of gas with a loud hissing. Alphys jumps, catching it and flops on the floor using her whole body in an attempt to hold it down. She's screaming something to you, but you can't hear a thing behind all the ruckus brought by the fuming machine.

A glance at the tube you've been distracted from fills your soul with fear. The monsters behind the glass are rapidly losing their features. This sight isn't for a faint of heart and if things continue like this there will be nothing left of them, but a goopy monster soup.

'over here!' Sans' illusion calls out from the other side of the room, gesturing at the lever on the wall. You quickly teleport there and press it as fast as you can.

The power goes off. In the complete darkness the only source of light is a dim white glow coming from the inside of the tank where the grey substance inside of the water is pulsing, undulating and… growing. Hypnotized, you can only stand and watch as it slowly consumes the water, filling the space with darkening muck, pushing against the glass walls.

 _Crack… Crrrack…_

The container bursts and the awful liquid spurts everywhere, soaking the lab in glowing spots. Behind the dying whistles of the loose hoes you hear Alphys' inhuman, agonizing scream.

Melting. She's melting. Shocked and terrified you witness her thawing like a snowman on the summer beach, jittering and struggling to recollect herself with quickly deforming arms.

"Nonono… N-no…N…. nn…oooo…" Her cries distort along with her face.

There's barely anything left of anyone, but you, as the goo turns into a black stream, swallowing and assimilating what had remained of Alphys, and spreading everywhere. You can't help staring as it closes in on you - disgust, pity, and fear petrifying your ability to move and even think - to then begin reforming. Reforming into a one, giant creature of multiple heads with blank white eyes on the black, deformed, dripping body. Its entirety pulsates chaotically, oozing and reeking of rot and danger.

The kind of which you've yet to figure out.


End file.
